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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICIVIHI 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  canadien  de  microreproductions  historiques 


1981 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  at  bibtiographiques 


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□ 

D 
D 
□ 
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□ 
□ 


D 


□ 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagee 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur^e  et/ou  pelliculde 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

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n 


0 

D 

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Coloured  pages/ 
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Pages  damaged/ 
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This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film6  au  taun  de  reduction  indiqu6  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

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26X 

SOX 

J 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


itails 
5  du 
lodifier 
r  une 
Image 


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Mills  Memorial  Library 
McMaster  University 


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de  la  nettet6  de  l'exemplaire  filmd,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditiont  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


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d'impression  ou  d'iElustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
emprointe. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  {meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  das  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ^- signifie  "A  SUIVKE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  tjo  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film6s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff^rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichd,  il  est  film^  d  partir 
de  Tangle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


)rrata 
to 


pelure, 
m  it 


U 


32X 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


OR 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


AN  UNFOLDING  OF  THE  DO'-^TRINE  OF  THE 

HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  OLD  AND 

NEW  TESTAMENTS 


[■ 


By 


REV.  A.  B.  SIMPSON,  D.D, 


PJRT  L     THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 


CHRISTIAN  PUBLICATIONS,  INC. 

Third  and  Reily  Streets 

Harrisburg,  Pa. 


NEW  EDITION  FROM  NEW  PLATES 

With  Foreword  by 

WALTER  M.  TURNBULL,  D.D. 


1 

% 


(All  rights  reser'ved) 


•   of 


FOREWORD 


Among  the  many  treatises  upon  the  Person  and  Work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  these  two  volumes  from  the  pen 
of  Dr.  A.  B.  Simpson  have  won  a  unique  and  com- 
manding place.  Lucidity  of  style,  comprehensiveness 
of  treatment,  and  spirituality  of  message  are  the  marked 
characteristics  of  these,  as  of  all  the  works  of  this  gifted 
writer.  Profound  students  of  Scripture  and  a  host 
of  beginners  in  the  faith  have  alike  been  helped  by  their 
rich  spiritual  instruction.  Just  as  his  great  series, 
''Christ  in  the  Bible,*'  opens  the  Scriptures  to  reveal 
Jesus  upon  every  page,  so  this  great  exposition,  **The 
Holy  Spirit;  or,  Power  from  on  High  "  leads  the 
reader  to  recognize  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  types,  sym- 
bols, and  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  in  the 
promises,  records,  and  revelation  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. This  monumental  work  shoidd  be  in  the  library 
of  every  worker  who  covets  a  spiritual  ministry,  and 
should  be  prayeriuUy  perused  by  every  Christian  who 
longs  for  a  life  of  victory.  Its  pages  will  repeatedly 
convict,  inspire,  and  refresh. 

The  chapters  of  these  books  were  originally  given  as 
burning  messages  from  the  Gospel  Tabernacle  p\dpit 
in  New  York  and  were  designed  to  lead  the  members 
of  the  congregation  into  the  personal  experience  of  the 
truth  set  forth.  Sunday  after  Sunday  Dr.  Simpson 
poured  out  his  heart  in  Scriptural  teaching  and  earnest 
exhortation,  aiming  constantly  to  lead  his  auditors  to 
definite  acceptance  of  the  fullness  of  the  Spirit.  His 
own  life  flamed  with  the  reality  of  the  message  his  lips 
proclaimed.  These  volumes,  therefore,  are  the  vials  con- 
taining the  essence  of  Dr.  Simpson's  deepest  ministry. 
Because  of  the  nature  of  their  preparation,  there  is  in 

3 


FOREWORD 


tliesL'   pa^es  a  pinifjfcm-e  that  penclratt's  the  soul  and 
a  power  that  strangely  moves  the  spirit. 

Keadcrs  of  these  and  other  books  of  Dr.  Simpson  will 
readily  understand  the  constant  increase  of  the  move- 
ment which  he  initiated.  The  man  passed  on,  but  his 
message  abides.  It  was  given  to  him  to  restate  in 
kindling  word  the  eternal  truths  of  Scripture.  He 
brought  no  new  message  but  earnestly  summoned  the 
Church  to  listen  to  the  old,  old  story  in  its  revealed 
completeness.  The  conviction  is  growing  that  Albert 
B.  Simpson  was  a  voice  to  his  generation  like  that  of 
Luther  and  Wesley.  Like  Luther's  classic  on  Galatians 
and  John  Wesley's  immortal  sermons,  the  writings  of 
Dr.  Simpson  are  a  sacred  heritage.  Among  all  these 
treasures  none  is  more  vitally  important  to  Christians 
generally  or  more  worthy  of  wide  dissemination  than 
"The  Holy  Spirit;    or,  Power  from  on   High." 

Walter  AL  Turnbull. 


;i 


if. 


INTRODUCTION. 


BY    REV.    STEPHEN    MERRITT. 


Dear  Brother  Simpson  : 

It  was  a  cause  of  great  joy  to 
my  soul  to  read  the  announcement  that  the  first  volume 
of  The  Holy  Spirit,  or,  Power  From  on  High,  would 
soon  be  issued.  You  will  remember  that  at  the  Old  Or- 
chard Convention  last  year  I  was  led  to  exclaim,  "The 
hook  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  yet  unwritten,"  and  to  ro(iuest 
tlie  vast  audience  to  rise  and  pray  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
might  inspire  Rev.  A.  B,  Simpson  to  write  the  work  of 
llie  age  for  Ilim.  That  this  petition  is  now  being  an- 
swered is  the  delight  of  my  life, 

I  cannot  but  believe  that  He  has  selected  you  for  this 
work  of  faith  and  labor  of  love,  and  that  He  has  had 
you  in  peculiar  training  and  made  Himself  personally 
known  to  you,  so  that  you  may  be  able,  with  the  pen 
of  a  ready  writer,  to  make  Him  known  to  a  hungry, 
famishing  church  and  world.  I  rejoice  that  you  know 
Him,  and  that  He  knows  you,  and  I  believe  that  you 
know  by  wisdom  from  above  how  to  make  Him  known. 

1  am  so  glad  you  have  written  not  an  artick,  a 
treatise,  or  sermons;  but  volumes — to  show  His  com- 
pleteness of  power,  His  adequateness,  and  adaptibility 
to  meet  every  need  of  the  body,  soul,  and  spirit,  for 
time  and  for  eternity.  1  have  not  read  tho.  forthcoming 
volume,  but  shall  do  so  with  intense  interest,  pleasure, 
and  profit,  for  in  it  I  shall  see  the  mind  of  the  Spirit 
as  expressed  by  Him  thr  ugh  your  God-touched  pen. 

What  strides  He  has  taken  since  you  first  began  to 

7 


8 


INTRODUCTION 


toach  Hira;  with  what  desire  the  people  receive  Him 
and  tht.  truth  eonceming  Him;  and  how  abundantly 
He  blesses  with  power  all  who  accept  Him.  This  is 
the  Book  of  His  Age.  Thousands  will  rise  up  and  call 
you  blessed  for  its  publication,  and  your  influence  for 
Ilim  will  be  greatly  enhanced  by  Him  for  His  glory 
ParousYa      '^'^^*^"'   "^'^'^^  ^^  ^«'^''   heart-the  coming 

Stephen  Mebritt. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Foreword 3 

Introduction  7 

I.     liike  a  Dove  (Genesis)  15 

II.     The  Breatii  of  God  (Genesis)   24 

III.  The  Sword  of  the  Spirit  (Genesis)   37 

IV.  The  Pillar  of  Cloud  and  Fire  (Exodus 

and  Numbers)   53 

V.     The  Livin«jr  Water  (Exodus  and  Num- 
bers)      fi6 

VI.     The  Anointing:  Oil  (Exodus  and  Levi- 
ticus)      76 

Vll.     The  Baptism  witli  Fire 87 

VITI.     The  Spirit  of  Wisdom 98 

IX.     The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Book  of  Judges  109 

X.     The  Spirit-filled  Man 121 

XI.     The  Holy  Spirit   in  the  Lives  of  Saul 

and  David  ( I  and  2  Samuel) 129 

XII.     The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Book  of  Proverbs  141 

XIII.  The  Still  Smnll  A^oice  (1  Kings)  ......  151 

XIV.  The  Pot  of  Oil  [2  Kings)  165 

XV.     The  Valley  of  Ditches  (2  Kings) 174 

XVI.     The  Spirit  of  Inspiration 183 

XVII.     The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Book  of  Joel  ...  195 

XVIII.     The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Book  of  Isaiah  . .  206 
XIX.     The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Life  and  Testi- 

mony  of  Jeremiah  217 

XX.     The  Holy  Spirit  in  Ezekiel  232 

XXI.     The  Spirit  of  the  Resurrection  (Ezekiel)  244 

9 


10 


CONTENTS 


FAGK 

XXTT.     The  River  of  Blessing  (Ezekiel)  253 

XXIII.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Days  of  the  Res- 

toration    263 

XXIV.  The  Olive  Trees  and  the  Golden  Lamps 

(Zechariah)  274 

XXV.     The  Last  Message  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to 

the  Old  Dispensation 285 


chaptp:r  I. 


LIKE  A  DOVE. 


THE   first   cmhlcin   under  which  we   see  the   IToly* 
Spirit  in  the  New  Testament  is  the  dove  desct^nding 
upon   the   head   of  Jesus  at   His   baptism   on   the 
banks  of  the  Jordan. 

The  first  emblem  under  which  the  Holy  Spirit  is  pre- 
sented in  the  Old  Testament  is  also  a  dove.  In  th\i 
story  of  creation,  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  second 
verse,  we  read:  "The  earth  was  without  form  and  void,| 
and  darkness  brooded  over  the  face  of  the  deep,  and 
the  Spirit  of  God  brooded  upon  the  face  of  the  waters." 

This  is  the  figure  of  the  mother  dove  brooding  over 
her  nest  and  cherishing  her  young.  What  a  strange 
background  for  such  a  picture;  chaos,  desolation,  the 
seething  waters,  the  hissing  flames,  the  wild  abyss,  th(^ 
starless  night,  the  reign  of  ruin,  death,  and  desolation! 

This  was  thf!  scene  where  the  mother  dove  of  eternal 
love  and  peace  began  to  build  her  nest,  and  she  rested 
not  until  out  of  that  scene  of  wreck  she  had  evolved  a 
bright  and  happy  world,  and  a  smiling  paradise,  with 
its  human  family  and  its  pure  and  heavenly  happiness 
and  hope. 

We  pass  over  seven  chapters,  and  we  come  to  anoti  er 
scene  of  desolation  and  wreck.  The  waters  of  the  de- 
luge are  sweeping  round  the  world.  The  work  of  twenty 
centuries  is  submerged  beneath  that  awful  flood,  and 
'he  world's  countless  millions  are  lying  in  d'cath  beneath 
those  waves.  One  solitary  ship  is  riding  above  the 
f.torm  with  eight  human  beings  within  its  walls,  the  sole 
survivors  of  all   earth's  population. 

Once  again  we  behold  the  figure  of  the  dove.  We  read 
in  Genesis  8:  6-12:  "And  it  came  to  pass,  at  the  end  of 

15 


16 


rOWEK   FROM  ON   HIGH 


forty  clays,  thrt  Noah  opened  the  window  of  the  ark 
which  he  had  made:  and  he  sent  forth  a  raven,  which 
went  forth  to  and  fro,  until  the  waters  wt3re  dried  up 
from  off  the  earth. 

"Also  he  sent  forth  a  dove  from  him,  to  see  if  the 
waters  were  abated  from  off  the  face  of  the  ground: 
but  the  dove  found  no  rest  for  the  sole  of  her  foot,  and 
she  returned  unto  hira  into  the  ark,  for  the  waters 
were  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth :  then  he  put  forth 
his  hand,  and  took  her,  and  pulled  her  in  unto  him 
into  the  ark. 

"And  he  stayed  yet  other  seven  days,  and  again  he 
sent  forth  the  dove  out  of  the  ark:  and  the  dove  came 
in  to  him  in  the  evening;  and,  lo,  in  her  mouth  was 
an  olive  leaf,  pluckt  off:  so  Noah  knew  that  the  waters 
were  abated  from  off  the  earth. 

"And  he  stayed  yet  other  seven  days,  and  sent  forth 
the  dove,  which  returned  not  again  unto  him  any  more." 

Back  of  this  dove  there  is  another  figure,  the  black- 
winged  raven,  the  emblem  of  Satan,  as  the  other  is 
of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

And  now  we  see  three  very  remarkable  stages  iu  the 
sending  forth  of  this  dove,  and  they  seem  to  sp^ak  of 
three  dispensations  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

First,  we  have  tlie  dove  going  forth  frcia  the  a'\, 
and  finding  no  rest  up^  r  the  wild  and  di'ifting  waste 
of  sin  and  judgmc^nt.  This  represt^nts  the  Old  Testament 
period,  perhaps,  when  the  Holy  Ghost  visited  this  sin- 
ful world,  but  could  find  no  resting-place,  and  ever 
went  back  to  the  bosom  of  God. 

Next,  v/e  have  the  dove  going  forth  and  returning 
with  the  olive  leaf  in  her  mouth,  a  symbol  and  a  pledge 
of  peace  and  reconciliation,  a  sign  that  judgment  had 
passed  and  peace  was  returning.  Surely  this  may  beau- 
tifully represent  the  next  stage  of  the  Holy  Spirit's 
manifestation,  the  going  forth  in  the  ministrj^  and  resur- 


LIKE  A  DOVK 


17 


rection  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  proclaim  reconciliation  to 
a  sinful   world.  

But,  as  yet,  He  is  not  at  liberty  to  reside  in  this  Kin- 
cursed  earth.  There  is,  therefore,  a  third  stage,  when, 
at  length,  the  dove  goes  forth  from  the  ark  and  returns 
no  more,  but  makes  the  world  its  home,  and  builds  its 
nest  amid  the  habitations  of  men.  This  is  the  third 
and  present  stage  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  blessed  work. 

Thus  He  has  now  come  forth,  not  to  visit  this  sinful 
world,  returning  again  to  heaven,  but  to  make  it  His 
abiding  home.  During  the  ministry  of  Christ  on  earth, 
the  Spirit  dwelt  in  Him,  and  not  in  men.  Jesus  said 
He  was  with  the  disciples,  but  He  adds,  **He  shall  be 
in  you."  Like  Noah's  dove,  still  lingering  in  the  ark. 
and  going  forth  only  to  visit  the  earth,  so  the  Holy 
Ghost  dwelt  in  Jesus,  and  touched  the  hearts  of  men 
from  time  to  time. 

But  now  Jesus  has  sent  Him  forth,  and  His  residence 
is  no  longer  in  heaven,  but  in  the  heart  of  the  believer, 
and  in  the  bosom  of  the  Chureh.  This  earth  is  now  His 
home;  and  here  among  sinful,  suffering  men,  the  same 
dove  is  building  her  nest  and  rearing  her  brood  for 
the  celestial  realms,  where  they  shall  one  day  soar  and 
sing  In  the  light  of  God. 

Such  is  the  symbolical  unfolding  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  these  two  first  pictures  of  the  Old  Testament.  Let 
us  now  gather  out  of  the  figure  itself,  some  of  its  most 
pointed  lessons  and  suggestions. 


The  first  thought  is  motherhood.  It  is  the  figure 
of  the  mother  dove.  In  one  of  the  recent  and  most 
brilliant  works  of  Mr.  Drummond,  he  develops  with 
great  fullness  the  idea  that  the  goal  of  nature  is  always 
motherhood. 

In   the   vegetable   ereation    everything   moTt>s  toward 


18 


POWER   FROM   ON   HIGH 


seed  and  fruit.  The  flower  is  but  the  cradle  and  the 
swaddling  bands  of  the  living  germ.  The  plant  lives 
simply  to  develop  the  life  of  another  plant,  to  reproduce 
itself. 

Thus,  in  the  natural  world,  the  first  appearance  of  love 
is  not  in  the  sexual,  but  in  the  maternal  relations;  and 
in  like  manner,  the  great  thought  in  the  heart  of  God 
is  motherhood,  and  God  Himself  possesses  in  Himself  that 
true  nature  which  has  been  manifested  in  the  creation. 

There  is  in  the  divine  Trinity  a  personality  corres- 
ponding to  human  relationships.  Human  fatherhood 
express-es  a  need  which  is  met  in  God  the  Father.  Hu- 
man motherhood  has  its  origin  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  Hu- 
man brotherhood,  and  the  higher,  closer  fellowship  of 
the  husband  and  the  bridegroom,  are  met  in  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God,  our  Brother  and  our  Bridegroom.  We 
cannot  reason  out  the  divine  Trinity,  but  God  can  make 
it  real  to  our  spiritual  instincts. 

There  are  times  when  we  need  a  father's  strength 
and  love,  and  our  pressed  spirits  cry  out,  **0h,  if  my 
father  were  only  here,  how  quickly  he  w^ould  help  me!" 
And  God  our  Father  answers  that  cry. 

There  are  times  when  the  orphaned  spirit  feels  the 
need  of  a  mother's  more  delicate  and  tender  touch,  and 
we  think  how  mother  once  used  to  comfort  and  help  us 
as  no  other  frend  could  do.  Then  we  need  the  mother 
heart  of  God.  "   ~ "' ~ 

I  envy  not  the  man  who  has  outgrown  the  weakness 

of  needing  a  mother's  love,  and  whose  heart  finds  no 

response  to  such  words  as  these: 

Who   fed  me   from  hpr  gentle  breast  f 
Who  taught  me  in  her  arms  to  rest? 
And    on    my    lips    sweet    kisses   pressed! 
My  mother. 

\',  ho  ran  to  help  me  when  I  fell, 
And  would  sotne  pretty  story  tell, 
Or   kiss  the   plsi^'.o  to   make  it  well? 
My    mother. 


LIKE  A  DOVE 


J9 


The  Holy  Ghost,  the  author  oi  the  mother's  heart  and 
the  child's  dependent  love,  is  able  to  meet  in  us  the 
deep  need  which  has  outgrown  our  infant  years,  and 
still  lo:)ks  up  to  God  with  its  orphaned  cry  for  love  and 
sympathy. 

Also  there  is  in  eveiy  human  heart  the  memory  of 
some  brave,  true  brother,  and  a  longing  for  o  divine 
arm  that  can  uphold  us  with  a  love  **that  sticketh  closer 
than  a  brother";  yes,  there  is  a  deeper  longing  for 
»i  friendship  more  intimate  and  a  fellowship  more  dear, 
which  Jesus  meets  as  the  divine  Husband,  the  Ishi  of 
our  heart. 

All  the  representations  which  the  Scriptures  give  us 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  are  in  harmony  with  this  thought 
of  divine  motherhood. 

The  regeneration  of  the  soul  is  described  as  a  new 
birth,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  mother  that  gives  us 
this  birth.  The  guidance  and  nurture  of  the  Spirit 
after  our  conversion  are  described  in  language  bor- 
rowed from  the  nursery  and  the  home.  In  the  deeper 
needs  of  the  soul,  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
described  to  us  under  the  very  iiuage  of  a  mother's 
caresses  and  a  mother's  love.  "As  one  whom  his  mothei' 
comforteth,  so  will  I  eomfort  you,  and  ye  shall  be  com- 
forted, saith  the  Lord." 

In  turn,  as  we  are  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  we 
ourselves  have  the  mother-heart  for  others,  and  are 
able  to  reflect  the  blessing  and  dispense  the  comfort 
which  we  have  received.  Our  prayers  for  others  be- 
come maternal  longings,  travailings,  and  soul-births,  and 
we  learn  to  say  with  the  apostle,  ''My  little  children, 
of  v.hom  I  travail  in  birth  again,  until  Christ  be  formed 
in  you,"  and  to  understand  such  language  as  this,  "As 
soon  as  Zion  travailed  she  brought  forth." 

The  Holy  Ghost  in  the  consecrated  heart  often  gives 
a  yearning  for  others,  and  a  prayer  for  the  lost  and 
the  tempted,  as  intensely  real  as  the  pangs  of  maternal 


20 


POWER    FROM   ON   HIGH 


auguisli  iiud  love;  and  people  are  born  of  us  as  truly 
as  the  children  of  our  households,  and  are  linked  to 
us  by  bonds  as  real  as  our  natural  kindred. 

n. 

The  figure  of  the  dove  is  suggestive  of  peace.  The 
dove  from  the  ark  was  the  messenger  of  peace,  and 
brought  back  an  olive  branch  as  the  symbol  of  recon- 
ciliation. Thus  is  the  Holy  Spirit  the  messenger  of 
peace  with  God  through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He 
loads  the  soul  to  understand  and  accept  the  message 
of  mercy  and  to  find  the  peace  of  God.  He  then  brings 
the  deeper  *' peace  of  God,  which  keeps  the  heart  and 
mind  through  Christ  Jesus."  Wherever  the  Holy  Spir- 
it reigns  there  is   peace. 

Back  of  the  picture  of  the  dove  is  the  raven,  rest- 
lessly passing  to  and  fro,  to  and  fro,  to  and  fro,  a  type 
of  the  troubled  spirit  of  evil,  that  finds  no  rest  even  in 
the  pleasures  of  sin,  but  is  driven  from  excitement  to 
excitement  in  the  vain  pursuit  of  rest,  until  at  last  it 
is  thrown  upon  the  wild  billows  of  a  lost  eternity,  the 
victim    of   everlasting  disquietude   and    unrest. 

But  the  spirit  in  which  the  Holy  Ghost  rules  is  at 
rest.  It  has  a  peace  that  nothing  can  offend,  ' '  the  peace 
of   God    that   passeth   all    understanding." 


ui. 

THE    DOVE    IS    THE    SYMBOL    OF   PURITY. 

''Harmless  as  a  dove,"  is  Christ's  interpretation  of 
the  beautiful  emblem.  The  Spirit  of  God  which  is 
purity  itself,  cannot  dwell  in  an  unclean  heart.  He 
cannot  abide  in  the  natural  rjind.  It  was  said  of  the 
anointing  of  old,  "On  man's  fiesh  it  shall  not  be  poured." 

The  purity  which  the  Holy  Spirit  brings  is  like  a 
white  and  spotless  little  plant  which  grows  up  out 
of  a  heap  of  manure,  or  out  of  black  soil,  without  one 


LIKE  A   DOVE 


21 


grain  of  impurity  adhering  to  its  crystalline  surface, 
spotless  as  an  angel's  wing. 

So  the  Holy  Spirit  gives  a  purity  of  heart  which 
brings  its  own  protection,  for  it  is  essentially  unlike 
the  evil  things  which  grow  around  it.  It  may  be  sur- 
rounded on  every  side  with  evil,  but  it  is  uncontami- 
nated  and  pure  because  its  very  nature  is  essentially 
holy  and  divine,  It  cannot  be  soiled,  because  like  the 
plumage  of  the  dove,  which,  protected  by  its  oily  cover- 
ing, comes  forth  from  the  miry  pool  unstained  and  \ 
unsullied  by  the  dark  waters,  it  sheds  off  every  defile- 
ment and  is  proof  against  the  touch  of  every  stain. 

THE   DOVK   IS  THE   SYMBOL   OP  GENTLENESS. 

The  Comforter  is  gentle,  tender,  and  full  of  patience 
and  love.  How  gentle  are  God's  dealings  even  with  sin- 
ners! How  patient  His  forbearance!  How  tender  His 
discipline  with  His  own  erring  children !  How  He  led 
Jacob,  Joseph,  Israel,  David,  Elijah,  and  all  His  ancient 
servants,  until  they  could  truly  say,  "Thy  gentleness 
hath  made  me  great"! 

The  heart  in  which  the  Holy  Spirit  dwells  will  al- 
ways be  characterized  by  gentleness,  lowliness,  quiet- 
ness, meekness,  and  forbearance.  The  rude,  sarcastic 
spirit,  the  brusque  manner,  the  sharp  retort,  the  unkind 
cut, — all  these  belong  to  the  flesh.  They  have  nothing 
in  common  with  the  gentle  teaching  of  the  Comforter. 

The  Holy  Dove  shrinks  from  the  noisy,  tumultuous, 
excited,  and  vindictive  spirit,  and  finds  His  home  in 
the  lowly  breast  of  the  peaceful  soul.  "The  fruit  of  the 
Spirit  is  gentleness,  meekness." 

THE   HOLY   SPIRIT  IS   THE  SPIRIT  OF   LOVE. 

The  dov<>  is  the  special  emblem  of  affection.  The 
special  object  of  the  divine  Comforter  is  to  "shed  abroad 


22 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


the  love  of  God  in  our  hearts,"  and  to  show  that  **the 
fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love."  Wherever  He  dwells  there 
is  to  be  found  a  disposition  of  unselfisliness,  considera- 
tion for  others,  loving  helpfulness,  and  kindness;  and  Ho 
wants  love  from  us.  He  asks  not  so  much  our  service 
as  our  communion.  He  has  plenty  to  serve  Him;  but 
He  wants  us  to  love  Him  and  to  receive  His  tender  love 
for  us.  He  is  longing  for  our  tiffection  and  is  disap- 
pointed when  we  give  Hira  anything  else. 

A  very  sweet  thought  connected  with  the  symbol  of 
the  dove,  and  true  also  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  that  we 
find  in  the  Scriptures  many  allusions  to  the  mourning 
of  the  dove.  It  is  a  bird  of  sorrow,  and  its  plaintive 
notes  have  more  of  sadness  in  them  than  the  voice  of 
any  other  bird.  Any  one  who  has  heard  the  cooing  of 
the  turtle  dove  will  never  forget  the  plaintive  sadness 
of  its  tone. 

How  can  this  be  true  of  the  Holy  Spirit?  Simply 
because  love  is  always  sensitive  to  suffering.  The  more 
we  love,  the  more  we  sorrow,  especially  when  the  loved 
one  disappoints  our  expectations,  or  our  affection.  The 
lone  dove  coos  for  its  lost  mate,  and  mourns  for  its 
scattered  brood. 

And  so  the  Holj^  Spirit  is  represented  as  loving  us 
even  unto  the  extreme  of  sorrow.  We  do  not  read  of 
the  anger  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  of  the  grief  of  the 
Spirit.  "They  rebelled  and  vexed  His  Holy  Spirit," 
and  we  are  w^arned,  "Grieve  not  the  Holy  Spirit  where- 
by ye  are  sealed  unto  the  day  of  redemption." 

There  is  a  beautiful  passage  11.  James  which  has 
been  unhappily  translated  in  our  Revised  Version :  "The 
Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  us  lusteth  to  en\y."  It  ought 
to  be,  "The  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  us  loveth  us  to 
jealousy."  It  is  the  figure  of  a  love  that  suffers  be- 
cause of  its  intense  regard  for  the  loved  object. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  so  anxious  to  accomplish  in  us  and 
for  us  the  highest  will  of  God,  and  to  receive  from 


I     IS    ! 

I    ad  I 
I    woi 
C 

apF 

teni 

the 

i   givf 

I  "^ 
i  ado 

I  whc 

thir 


I  so  1 
^      L 


LIKE  A  DOVE 


23 


'  that  **the 
Iwclls  there 
,  considera- 
'ss;  and  He 
our  service 
:  Him;  but 
tender  love 
d  is  disap- 

I  symbol  of 
is  that  we 
3  mourning  i 
ts  plaintive  I 
he  voice  of  I 
e  cooing  of 
ive  sadness 

t?  Simply 
The  more 
n  the  loved 
ction.  The 
ms  for  its 

loving  "US 
not  read  of 
rief  of  the 
ly  Spirit," 
Dirit  where- 
ion." 

which  has 

sion:  "The 

It  ought 

)veth  us  to 

suffers  be- 

oct. 

in  us  and 
?ceive  from 


us  the  truest  love  for  Christ,  our  divine  Husband,  tluit 
He  becomes  jealous  when  in  any  way  we  disappoint 
Him,  or  divide  His  love  with  others.  Therefore,  it 
is  said  in  the  preceding  passage,  "Ye  adulterers  and 
adulteresses,  know  ye  not  that  the  friendship  of  the 
world  is  enmity  with  God?" 

Oh,  shall  we  grieve  so  kind  a  Friend!  Shall  we  dis- 
appoint so  loving  a  Husband?  Shall  we  provoke  bo 
tender  and  unselfish  a  jealousy?  Shall  we  not  meet 
the  blessed  Holy  Spirit  with  the  love  He  brings  us,  and 
•give  in  return  our  undivided  and  unbounded  affection? 

Strange,  indeed,  that  God  should  have  to  plead  with 
us  for  our  love.  Strange  that  He  whom  all  Heaven 
adores  should  have  a  rival  in  the  hearts  of  the  children 
whom  He  has  created,  and  the  beings  who  owe  every- 
thing they  have  to  His  i^^finite  mercy!  Strange  that 
so  gentle  a  Friend  should  have  to  plead  so  long  and 
so  tenderly  for  our  affections! 

Let  us  turn  to  Him  with  penitential  love,  and  cry: 

*'Come    Holy    Spirit,    Heavenly    Dove, 
With   all   Thy  quickening   powers; 
Kindle   a   flame  of  sacred   love 
In  these  cold  hearts  of  ours." 


h 


CHAPTER  n. 

THE   BREATH   OF   GOD. 

"And  the  Lord  God  formed  man  of  the  dust  of  the  ground, 
and  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life;  and  man  be- 
came   a    living   soul." — Genesis    2:7. 

"The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the 
sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  and  whither 
it  goeth:    so  is  every  one  that  ig  born  of  the  Spirit." — John  ?>:  S. 

"And  when  He  had  said  this,  He  breathed  on  them,  and  said 
unto  them,  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost." — .John  20:22. 


THE  first  of  these  passages  contains  the  second  refer- 
ence to  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Old  Testament,  and 
the  other  passages   prolong  the  line,   and  fix   the 
application  of  the  beautiful  picture  in   Genesis  to  the 
person  and  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  e-  blera  under  which  the  Spirit  is  here  presented 
to  us  is  the  breath  and  the  air,  the  atmosphere  in  which 
we  live,  and  the  act  by  which  we  inhale  or  exhale  its 
vital   properties   and   its  vitalizing  power. 

The  value  and  importance  of  the  atmosphere  U  self- 
evident.  We  can  live  for  days  Avithout  food,  and  for 
a  lifetime  without  sight  or  hearing,  but  we  cannot  live 
an  hour  without  breath.  To  breathe  is  the  most  essential 
of  all  our  physical  functions  and  is  in  the  Scriptures 
almost  synonymous  with  life. 

Again  and  again  we  find  such  expressions  as,  ''Everj- 
living  thing  that  hath  breath  upon  the  earth."  We 
cannot  see  it,  we  can  scarcely  feel  it,  and  yet  around 
us  there  is  an  ocean  of  air  without  which  we  could  not 
exist,  and  without  which  almost  all  our  senses  would 
be  blind,  deaf,  and  vain,  Sound  could  not  be  communi- 
cated without  air,  the  sweet  hymns  that  we  have  sung 
could  not  have  been  uttered  or  heard,  the  voices  of  our 

H 


THE   BREATH    OF   GOD 


e  grounc^, 
1  man   be- 

sarest    the 

(I   wliitlu'r 

John  3 :  S. 

and  said 


1(1  refer- 
ent, and 
fix   the 
s  to  the 

iresented 
in  which 
chale  its 

.  self- 
and  for 
not  live 
ssential 
riptures 


friends  would   never   reaoh   ns,  and   the  harnionioH  of 
mnsie  would  be  silent  and  dead. 

Sight  also  is  dependent  upon  the  atmosphere.  Yonder 
sun  seems  like  a  ball  of  fire  in  the  midst  of  a  pall  of 
darkness,  when  we  get  beyond  the  earth's  atmosphere. 
Like  a  fine,  transparent  lens,  the  atmosphere  reeeivinj? 
the  solar  rays,  diffuses  them  in  floods  of  light  for  the 
organs  of  vision. 

Without  the  atmosphere  heat  would  be  unknoMrn.  In 
yonder  upper  spaees,  although  seeming  to  be  nearer  the 
sun,  there  is  an  everlasting  frigid  zone;  and  every  droj) 
of  blood  in  our  body  would  be  frozen  into  ice  in  an 
instant,  were  we  to  pass  beyorul  the  tempering  air  whioh 
receives  and  distributes  the  solar  heat. 

Such  is  the  striking  and  beautiful  image  under  which 
the  Spirit  of  God  is  represented.  He  brings  to  us  the 
the  verj^  breath  of  life  for  spirit,  soul,  and  body,  and 
creates  the  atmosphere  in  which  we  see  the  things  of 
God,  hear  His  voice,  and  dwell  in  the  warmth  and  radi- 
ance  of   His  love. 

The  present  passage  unfolds  the  work  of  the  Spirit 
in  man's  original  creation,  and  also  suggests  the  Spirit's 
work  in  the  higher  unfolding  of  His  restoring  and 
quickening   grace. 

The  first  thing  we  notice  in  this  passage  is  the  marked 
distinction  that  is  made  between  the  creation  of  man 
and  that  of  all  other  animals.  At  the  creative  word,  they 
sprang  immediately  into  existence,  and  fell  into  their 
places  in  the  great  economy  of  nature,  without  further 
note  or  comment. 

But  when  man 's  creation  is  about  to  begin,  everything 
is  different.  By  a  significant  pause  our  attention  is 
called  to  a  most  important  crisis.  Then,  step  by  step, 
the  great  transaction  is  accomplished,  and  we  see  the 
first  human  being  coming  forth  from  his  Creator's  di- 
rect touch  in  all  the  completeness  of  his  manifold  nature, 
the  wondrous  handiwork  of  God. 


26 


POWER    FROM   0\    HIGH 


Wc  sec  cvon  the  Creator  Himself  appearing  under 
a  new  nauie  and  in  an  entirely  new  aspect.  The  lii^^her 
criticiKni  has  been  loud  of  questioning  the  unity  of 
the  book  of  Genesis,  because  this  second  chapter  gives 
an  entirely  new  name  to  God.  Because  we  here  meet 
with  Jehovah  Pilohim,  the  critics  liave  worked  up  the 
astute  hypothesis  that  this  is  a  different  God  from  the 
Elohim  of  the  first  chapter,  and  that  this  chapter,  there- 
fore, must  have  had  a  different  author.  They  tell  us 
also  tiuit  this  is  another  of  the  old  fragments  of  Hebrew 
lore  that  have  come  dov.n  to  us  along  with  Babylonian 
and  l']^yptian  scrolls  and  tablets,  and  that  this  distinctly 
proves  that  ]\loscs  could  not  have  been  the  author  of  both 
these  chapters. 

Ah,  how  much  deei)er  is  the  thought  of  God!  They 
used  to  tell  us  that  the  creation  of  the  sun  on  the  fourth 
day  contradicted  the  statement  that  light  was  formed 
in  the  beginning.  But  science  has  lately  discovered  that 
ligiit  did  exist  before  the  sun,  and  still  exists  apart  from 
it ;  and  thus  has  this  earlier  wisdom  fallen  into  a  ruinous 
mound  of  folly. 

Moreover,  reverent  and  heaven  taught  scholarship  has 
found  that  there  was  an  infinitely  wise  and  beautiful 
reason  for  the  change  in  the  divine  Name  in  the  second 
chapter  of  Genesis.  In  the  first  chapter  the  writer  is 
speaking  about  dead  and  soulless  matter,  and  it  is  quite 
proper  that  he  should  thus  speak  of  God  as  the  Creator 
of  matter. 

In  the  second  chapter  he  comes  to  deal  with  God  in 
direct  relation  to  His  children.  It  is  the  Father  coming 
to  His  household.  Man  in  his  spiritual  nature  is  now  to 
be  created  and  presented  to  us  in  all  the  tender  spirit- 
ual relationships  winch  he  is  to  sustain  to  God,  and  to 
his  own  race.  Therefore,  it  is  as  a  Father  that  God 
comes  down  into  human  relations  with  man  and  reveals 
His  name  as  Jehovah  God,  the  God  of  infinite  love  and 
tenderness,  the  God  who  was  about  to  send  His  Son, 


ot 
tel 


THE  BREATH  OF   GOD 


27 


our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  The  very  change 
of  name  is  both  a  mark  of  the  kindest  design  and  the 
tenderest   proof  of  love. 

Next  we  see  the  formation  of  the  human  body  out 
of  the  dust  of  the  earth.  Man's  form  was  not  created 
out  of  nothing.  The  elements  of  matter  were  made 
from  nothing,  but  man  was  made  out  of  elements  already 
existing,  made  however,  not  by  a  process  of  evolution 
whif'ii  gradually  developed  a  human  being  of  a  higher 
order,  but  made  immediately  a  complete  human  form. 
It  was  still  lifeless,  until  God  touched  it  with  His  divine 
breath,  from  His  own  lips;  just  as  in  the  vision  of 
Ezekiel,  where  the  picture  of  the  final  resurrection  shows 
the  body  first  appearing  reorganized  in  all  its  constitu- 
ent parts,  *'bone  to  its  bone,  with  flesh  and  skin  to  cover 
them  above;   but  there  is  no  breath  in  them." 

There  is  no  evolution  here,  but  the  immediate  act  of 
creation,  succeeded  by  another  act  of  animation,  inspira- 
tion, and  the  divine  quickening  of  the  soulless  matter 
into  immortal  life. 

We  see  here  surely,  the  sacredness  of  the  human  body 
and  the  value  and  importance  of  life.  It  is  the  direct 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Therefore,  the  life  of  a  man 
is  infinitely  more  precious  than  the  life  of  a  beast ;  and 
the  crime  of  murder  is  recognized  by  God  as  a  blow 
struck  at  God's  own  life,  and  one  which  He  will  most 
terribly  avenge. 

The  daring  act  of  suicide,  therefore,  is  a  defiance  of 
the  Creator  and  a  reckless  destruction  of  His  grandest 
work.  It  is  one  of  the  awful  signs  of  our  times  that 
not  only  are  men  killing  others,  but  that  in  our  public 
press,  one  of  the  leaders  of  infidelity  has  been  allowed 
publicly  to  discuss  the  question  of  suicide,  and  to  point 
out  the  perfect  right  of  every  man  to  do  what  he  chooses 
with  his  own  life.  It  is  no  wonder  that  such  discussions 
have  been  followed  by  an  awful  increase  of  suicides  in 
our  midst.    Such  men  are  desperate  and  dreadful  crim- 


28 


I'OWEB    FKOM   ON    HIGH 


inals  who  pass  redhandod  in  the  very  act  and  crinin 
of  rebellion  into  the  presence  and  up  to  the  judgment 
sent    of    God. 

No  man  has  a  right  even  for  an  instant  to  entertain 
such  a  thought.  Life  is  God's  gift  and  jnan's  momentous 
trust,  to  be  used  for  God  and  given  back  to  Him  at 
last  in  the  great  account. 

We  see  here  that  human  life  eome.s  through  the  hu- 
man soul,  not  through  the  human  body,  and  springs 
from  the  direct  touch  of  the  Creator  and  tiie  inspiration 
of   the    Almighty. 

Man's  life  is  not,  like  the  life  of  the  brute,  a  pari 
of  hi.H  physical  organism.  The  human  organs  are  com- 
plete before  they  receive  the  touch  of  life.  Our  life 
came  not  from  the  ground,  nor  from  the  phj'sical  forces 
and  functions,  but  from  the  imparting  of  the  human 
soul  through  God's  direct  inbreathing, 

Man's  life  is  so  sacred,  because  it  is  the  direct  gift  of 
Go<i's  love,  and  the  very  communication  of  God's  own 
life. 

We  see  the  Holy  Spirit  presented  here  as  the  author 
not  only  of  life,  but  also  of  mind  and  soul.  What  a 
glory  it  gives  to  our  conception  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to 
think  of  Him  as  having  part  in  creation!  Job  says: 
"Thy  Spirit  hath  garnished  the  heavens."  The  glowing 
stars,  the  beautiful  firmament,  the  rainbov,  the  golden 
sun.  the  silvery  moon,  the  sunset  clouds  in  all  their 
radiant  glory,  are  but  touches  of  His  infinite  wisdom  and 
taste. 

The  talents  and  endowments  of  the  highest  minds, 
the  splendid  g^  *  is  of  a  Home,"  and  a  Milton,  the  re- 
fined taste  of  a  Phidias  and  a  Rembrandt,  the  sublime 
musical  harmonies  of  a  Haydn  and  a  Beethoven,  as 
well  as  the  seraphic  and  lofty  flights  of  an  Isaiah  and 
a  John ;  all  these  likewise  came  oriirinally  from  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  all  must  reflect  the  higher  qualities  of  wis- 


a| 


THE  liUKATH   OF  (JOD 


2i> 


wis- 


dom, grace,  and  i^\oTy  which  constitute  His  infinite 
attributes. 

True,  man  has  perverted  these  splendid  gifts,  and 
often  made  them  become  selfish,  unholy,  and  even  diaboli- 
cal ;  but  they  are  none  the  less  splendid,  and  they  were 
no  less  originally  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit  and  the  proofs 
of  His  wisdom  and  power. 

Is  it  not  inspiring  to  think  that  this  Holy  Ghost  who 
fills  our  heart,  is  no  mere  sentiment  of  spiritual  ecstasy 
or  emotional  joy,  but  is  the  great  Mind  from  which  all 
minds  come,  the  mighty  Soul  by  Whom  all  souls  were 
made,  the  Infinite  Spirit  from  whom  all  being  emanated? 
As  we  look  at  the  rainbow  as  it  spans  the  cloud,  and  the 
verdure  as  it  crowns  the  mountain,  the  fragrant  blos- 
soms that  hide  in  every  nook,  clothe  every  rock,  and 
smile  on  every  field,  let  us  think  that  these  are  only 
some  of  His  royal  robes,  revealing  to  us  a  little  of  what 
His  own  essential  glory  means,  and  making  us  think : 
"How  beautiful,  how  glorious,  how  infinite  is  the  bless- 
ed Holy  Spirit!" 

Brother,  sister,  He  made  thy  soul,  He  gave  thee  thy 
mind.  He  created  for  Himself  and  His  high  purpose 
thy  talents  and  thy  powers  of  both  brain  and  being. 
What  art  thou  doing  with  thy  trust?  What  wilt  thou 
say,  when  He  shall  ask  it  back,  and  call  upon  thee  to 
give  an  account  of  thy  stewardship? 

We  see  here  the  peculiar  characteristic  of  man  as 
originally  created.  "'Man  became  a  living  soul."  The 
predominant  characteristic  of  natural  man  is  expressed 
by  this  word,  "soul,"  just  as  the  predominant  character- 
istic of  the  new  man  in  the  New  Testament  is  expressed 
by  the   word,  "spirit." 

The  soul  represents  the  intellectual  and  emotional 
elements  that  constitute  man.  The  spirit  represents 
the  higher  and  the  divine  life  which  links  us  directly 
lu  God  and  enables  us  to  know  and  to  come  into  rela- 
tionfthip    with    divine    things. 


30 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


There  is  no  doubt  that  man,  as  originally  created,  bad 
also  a  higher  and  spiritual  nature,  because  the  true 
translation  of  this  passage  is,  ''The  Lord  God  breathed 
into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  lives,  and  man  became 
a  living  soul."  His  life  was  manifold.  There  was 
physical  life,  mental  life,  and  spiritual  life,  but  the 
controlling  element  was  soul.  So  we  read  in  Corinthians, 
''The  first  man  Adam  was  made  a  living  soul,  the  sec- 
ond man  Adam  was  made  a  quickening  Spirit." 

It  would  seem  as  if,  at  his  fall,  man  lost  his  spiritual 
life,  or,  at  least,  it  became  so  utterly  subordinated  to 
his  soulish  nature  that  the  natural  man  was  not  spiritual. 
He  needed  to  be  born  from  above  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
and  to  receive  a  new  spiritual  being,  in  order  to  be 
saved. 

Even  in  his  highest  estate  Adam  was  distinctively 
a  living  soul,  rather  than  a  lofty  spirit.  His  soul  life 
was  predominant.  It  was  sinless  and  loyal  to  God,  hrt 
it  was  a  lower  life  than  that  which  redeemed  men  now 
enjoy. 

It  v/as,  notwithstanding,  a  verj'^  glorious  life,  received 
as  it  was  by  a  very  significant  and  glorious  touch  from 
the  Spirit  of  God.  "The  Lord  God  breathed  into  his 
nostrils  the  breath  of  lives."  The  Great  Artist  fash- 
ioned his  outward  form  from  the  finest  clay,  and  per- 
fected every  feature  and  everj^  function,  and  then,  like 
a  fond  mother,  kissed  the  cold  lips  with  His  own  warm 
oreath  of  life,  flashing  into  the  lifeless  form  the  spark 
of  His  eternal  life,  and  lo!  the  beautiful  form  sprang 
into  His  arms,  and  man  became  the  living  child  of  his 
loving  Creator. 

It  was  only  a  touch  of  life,  a  touch  of  love,  that 
forever  separated  and  distinguished  man  above  all  other 
beings  as  the  special  object  of  God's  infinite  love  and 
care. 


THE  BREATH  OF  GOD 


31 


*'Lord,   what   is   man?     Extremes  how   wide 
In  his  mysterious  nature  join; 
His  flesh  to  worms  and  dust  allied, 
His   soul   immortal   and   divine." 


that 
other 
and 


Such  was  the  Spirit's  work  in  the  original  creation 
of  man.  Our  text  suggests,  what  the  New  Testament 
so  freely  unfolds,  the  higher  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  the  new  creation.  The  Lord  Jesus  in  His  discourse 
respecting  the  new  birth,  in  the  third  chapter  of  John, 
gives  us  a  very  significant  hint  of  this  work  under  the 
same  figure  which  we  find  in  our  text.  There  He  in- 
troduces the  figure  of  the  wind  in  its  viewless,  yet 
mighty  energy  and  potency,  in  connection  with  the  re- 
generation of  the  human  soul  b}^  tne  Holy  Ghost. 

In  His  closing  interviews  with  the  disciples,  in  the 
twentieth  chapter  of  John,  "He  breathed  upon  them, 
and  said.  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost."  That  picture 
is  so  much  like  the  picture  of  our  text  that  the  one 
seems  the  complement  of  the  other.  In  the  one  case 
we  see  the  Spirit  breathe  the  old  creation  into  life,  and 
in  the  other  the  same  Spirit  breathes  into  the  new  crea- 
tion the  life  of  God  and  the  power  of  a  higher  principle. 

The  figure  of  the  new  creation  runs  through  all  the 
Epistles  of  Paul.  "If  any  man  bo  in  Christ  Jesus,  ho 
is  a  new  creation."  "Put  on  the  new  man,  which 
after  God  is  created  in  righteousness  and  tri'e  holiness." 
"After  God"  distinctly  implies  not  only  resemblance 
to  God,  but  derivation  froin  God. 

Now,  what  is  the  work  which  the  Holy  Spirit  per- 
forms in  this  now  creation?  Is  it  simply  the  restora- 
tion of  the  Adamic  nature  in  perfection,  or  is  it  some- 
thing higher  and  more  divine?  Most  assuredly  it  is  the 
latter.  "The  first  man."  the  apostle  tolls  us,  "was 
of  the  earth  earthy,  the  second  Man  was  the  Lord  from 
heaven;  the  first  man  was  made  a  living  soul  the  sec- 
ond Man   a   qniekenin£r  Spirit."     Then  he  adds.  "As 


32 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


if        !• 


we  Have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthly,  so  shall  we 
also  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly." 

The  Adamic  life  at  its  best  was  only  a  human  life. 
The  Christ  life  is  divine.  Natural  life  is  soul  life. 
Divine  life  is  Spirit  life. 

When  the  New  Testament  talks  about  the  natural  man 
it  does  not  mean  a  gross,  sordid,  sensual,  brutal  wretch, 
grovelling  in  swinish  lusts;  but  it  means  a  man  with 
all  the  graces  and  gifts  of  the  highest  genius  and  the 
most  refined  culture.  He  may  be  a  poet  like  Shakes- 
peare, a  composer  like  Mozart,  a  sculptor  like  Phidias, 
a  painter  like  Raphael,  an  architect  like  Wren,  an  ora- 
tor like  Cicero,  or  a  man  with  a  face  as  beautiful  as  an 
angel  and  a  life  as  virtuous  and  stainless  as  a  marble 
statue,  and  yet  be  purely  natural,  earth-born,  and  merely 
a  soulish  man. 

When  the  apostle  speaks  of  *'the  natural  man  who 
perceiveth  not  the  things  of  God,  nor  can  he  know 
them,  because  they  are  spiritually  discerned,"  he  uses 
the  word  "psychical"  man.  Now  everybody  knows  that 
Psyche  was  not  the  figure  of  sensualism,  but  of  beauty, 
virtue,  and  moral  purity. 

The  spiritual  man  is  entirely  distinct  from  all  this. 
His  life  ever  finds  its  centre  in  God,  and  its  delight 
in  His  will  and  fellowship.  Its  sphere  of  existence 
is  not  the  earth,  but  the  joming  world,  the  heavenly 
kingdom.  It  does  not  belong  here.  Its  very  instincts 
turn  higher.  It  has  its  natural  affection  and  qualities: 
but  they  have  been  transformed  by  death  into  a  higher 
life  and  have  risen  from  the  old  to  the  new  life,  from 
transient  to  everlasting.  It  is  true  by  the  veiy  nature 
of  things  that  **they  that  are  of  the  Spirit  do  mind  the 
things  of  the  Spirit." 

As  the  river  runs  to  the  sea,  as  the  fire  ascends  to  the 
sun, 


C( 

s 

s 


THE  BREATH  OP  GOD  33 

•*So  a   soul  that's  born  of   God 
Pants  to   see   His   glorious   face; 
Upward  tends  to  His  abode, 
To  rest  in  His  embrace." 

Thus  the  chief  characteristic  of  the  spiritual  man 
is  to  have  his  abode  with  the  Heavenly  Spirit.  It  is 
not  so  much  the  man,  as  The  addition  to  the  man,  which 
constitutes  his  high  character  and  heavenly  power.  A 
spiritual  man  is  not  so  much  a  man  possessing  a  ^^rong 
spiritual  character  as  a  man  filled  with  the  Holy  ISpirit. 
So  the  apostle  says :  * '  Ye  are  not  in  the  flesh,  but  in  the 
Spirit,  if  uo  be  that  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelleth  in  you." 

The  glory  of  the  new  creation,  then,  is  not  only  that 
it  recreates  the  human  spirit,  but  also  that  it  fits  it  for 
the  abode  of  God  Himself,  and  makes  it  dependent 
upon  Him  for  its  life,  just  as  the  flower  is  dependent 
upon  the  sun,  and  the  child  upon  the  mother.  The 
liighest  spirituality,  therefore,  is  the  most  utter  help- 
lessness, the  most  entire  dependence,  and  the  most  com- 
plete possession  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  beautiful 
act  of  Christ  in  breathing  upon  His  disciples,  and  im- 
parting to  them  from  His  own  lips  the  very  Spirit 
that  was  already  in  Him,  expressed  in  the  most  vivid 
manner  the  crowning  glory  of  the  new  creation.  When 
the  Holy  Spirit  thus  possesses  us,  He  fills  every  part 
of  our  being.  Our  spirit  is  Kis  central  throne,  our 
soul  is  under  His  control,  and  even  our  body  becomes 
*'the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  We  may  be  sancti- 
fied wholly,  that  is,  in  the  whole  man ;  and  our  whole 
''spirit,  soul,  and  body  preserved  blameless  unto  the 
coming   of  Jesus   Christ." 

The  final  stage  of  this  glorious  indwelling  will  be 
reached  when  the  vision  of  Ezekiel  is  fulfilled,  and  the 
Spirit  shall  breathe  into  the  resurrection  body  the  life 
of  glorious  immortality.  "And  we  shall  be  like  Him 
when  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is." 


34 


1>0WER  FROM   ON   HIGH 

\ 


There  are  some  lessons  which  we  may  leam  from  this 
picture   and    from   the  whole  subject. 

1.  The  lower  is  dependent  upon  the  higher,  and 
should  be  kept  subordinate  to  it. 

Man's  physical  frame  was  lifeless  until  his  higher 
nature,  the  soul,  entered  it;  and  then  he  lived.  So, 
still,  our  life  is  dependent  upon  our  higher  being;  and 
life  and  health  come  not  from  below,  but  from  above 
and   from   within. 

This  is  the  essential  principle  of  divine  healing, 
founded  as  it  is  on  the  great  law  of  creation,  and  ex- 
pressed by  Christ  Himself  in  His  answer  to  the  tempter, 
about  His  own  physical  life  and  ours,  **Man  shall  not 
live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  passeth 
o.ut  of   the   mouth   of   God." 

Our  higher  spiritual  nature  should  control  the  soul. 
Just  as  the  soul  is  superior  to  the  body,  so  the  spirit 
should  be  predominant  to  the  soul.  The  fatal  defect 
of  natural  life  is  that  the  soul  is  predominant,  and  the 
natural  mind  controls  both  spirit  and  body.  The  culti- 
vated Athenian,  therefore,  is  just  as  much  in  the  flesh 
as  the  brutal  African  savage. 

The  true  life  is  where  the  body  and  the  soul  are  un- 
der the  control  of  the  spirit,  and  the  spirit  is  under 
the  control  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  indwelling  Spirit 
and  Life  of  God. 

2.  The  beautiful  figure  of  the  breath  and  the  air 
teaches  us  some  practical  lessons  about  the  receiving 
of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

It  is  a  simple  law  of  nature,  that  air  alwaj's  comes 
in  to  fill  a  vacuum.  You  can  produce  a  draught  at 
any  time,  by  heating  the  air  until  it  ascends,  and  then 
letting  the  cold  air  rush  in  to  supply  its  place.  Tlius 
we  can  always  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit  by  provid- 
ing a  vacuum.  This  breath  is  dependent  upon  exhaust- 
ing the  previous  breath  before  you  can  inliale  a  fresh 
one.    We  must  in  like  manner  empty  our  hearts  of  the 


THE  BREATH  OF   GOD 


i 


35 


last  breath  of  tlit»  Holy  Spirit  that  we  have  reeeivo«1  • 
for  it  becomes  impure  tlie  moment  we  have  received 
it,  and  we  need  a  new  supply  to  prevent  spiritual  as- 
phyxia. 

We  must  learn  the  secret  of  breathing  out,  as  well 
as  breathing  in.  Now  the  breathing  in  will  continue 
if  the  other  part  is  rightly  done.  One  of  the  best  ways 
to  make  room  for  the  Holy  Spirit  is  to  recognize  the 
needs  that  come  into  the  life  as  vacuums  for  Him  to 
fill.  We  sliall  find  plenty  of  needs  all  around  us  to  be 
filled ;  and,  as  we  pour  out  our  lives  in  holy  service, 
He   will    pour   His   in,   in   full   measure. 

A  board  of  trustees  once  put  a  heating  apparatus  into 
a  church,  and  then  put  in  a  furnace,  and  announced 
the  opening  service.  But  the  church  was  as  cold  as  a 
barn.  The  hot  air  would  not  come  in,  although  the 
ducts  were  open  and  the  fire  burning  at  its  hottest.  An 
expert  was  called  in,  who  quietly  told  them  that  while 
they  had  made  provision  for  letting  in  the  fresh  air, 
they  had  made  none  for  letting  out  the  old  air  in  the 
building,  and  that  no  fresh  air  could  come  in  until  the 
old  air  was  expelled.  As  a  result  the  people  sat  there 
shivering. 

Thus  some  of  us  are  shivering  and  wondering  why 
the  Holy  Spirit  does  not  fill  us.  We  have  plenty  com- 
ing in,  but  we  do  not  give  it  out.  Give  out  the  blessing 
you  have,  start  larger  plans  for  service  and  blessing. 
You  will  soon  find  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  before  you, 
and  that  He  will  present  you  with  blessings  for  goodness 
and  will  gi\e  3''ou  all  that  He  can  trust  you  to  give 
away  to  others. 

There  is  a  beautiful  fact  in  nature  which  has  its  spir- 
itual parallels.  There  is  no  music  so  heavenly  as  that 
of  an  ^olian  harp.  This  harp  is  nothing  but  a  set  of 
musical  cords  arranged  in  harmony,  and  then  left  to 
be  touched  by  the  unseen  fingers  of  the  wandering  v^nnds. 
As  the  breath  of  heaven  floats  over  the  chords,  it  is  said 


POWKl{    rU'OM    ON     FfTOTr 


l.i' 


that  notes  almost  divine  float  out  upon  the  air,  as  if 
a  choir  of  angels  were  wandering  around  and  touching 
the  strings. 

It  is  possible  to  keep  our  hearts  so  open  to  the  touch 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  He  can  play  upon  them  at 
will.  As  we  quietly  wait  in  the  pathway  of  His  service, 
again  and  again  the  touch  of  hands  unseen  will  wake 
the  echoes,  and  the  heavenly  song  will  spring  within  the 
depths  of  our  being,  and  vi^e  shall  wonder  at  our  strange 
gladness.  But  it  is  still  the  ^olian  liarp  of  a  heart 
wholly  consecrated  and  attuned  to  God,  and  under  the 
touch  and  breathing  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

This  is  what  it  moans,  ''The  Lord  thy  God  in  the 
midst  of  thee  is  mighty;  He  will  sav»»,  He  will  rest  in 
His  love,  He  will  joy  over  thee  with  singing. ' ' 


Gi 

evi 

eJ 


v'i 


r,  as  if 
oiiching 

f!  ioucli 
hem  at 
service, 
11  wake 
hin  the 
strange 
I  heart 
lor  the 

in   the 
rest  in 


i 


I 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  SWORD  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 

"So  He  drove  out  the  man;  and  He  placed  at  the  east  of  the 
Garden  of  Eden  Cherubim,  and  a  flaming  sword  which  turned 
every  way,  to  keep  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life." — Genesis  3:  24. 

"And  the  Sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  Word  of  God." — 
Eph.  6:  17. 

"For  the  Word  of  God  is  quick  and  powerful,  and  sharper 
than  any  two-edged  sword,  piercing  even  to  the  dividing  asunder 
of  soul  and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and  is  a  dis- 
eerner  of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart." — Hebrews  4:  12. 

WE  are  accustomed  to  think  of  this  scene  at  the 
gate  of  Eden  as  a  picture  of  terror  and  judg- 
ment. Cowering  under  their  awful  curse,  the 
fugitive  pair  stand  in  the  front  of  the  picture,  hurrying 
forth  from  their  happy  Eden  home,  to  return  no  more : 
while  behind  them,  and  above  the  gate  that  was  closing 
upon  them  forever,  a  fiery  sword  flashes  with  angry 
severity,  to  keep  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life  from  which 
they  are  henceforth  to  be  debarred,  as  they  go  forth 
on  their  sorrowful  journey  to  the  grave. 

But  as  we  take  a  second  look  at  that  glorious  symbol, 
it  assumes  a  brighter  phase ;  until,  after  a  little  while, 
we  learn  to  behold  it  as  a  symbol  of  grace,  and  not  of 
judgment.  Doubtless  it  so  became  to  them,  and  ere 
long,  the  very  symbol  of  the  divine  presence  that  marked 
the  place  of  worship  where  they  came  to  meet  with  their 
covenant  God  at  the  gate  of  Eden. 

The  figure  of  the  cherubim,  which  appears  for  the 
first  time  in  this  chapter,  becomes  in  the  later  Scriptures 
the  very  signal  of  God's  covenant  love  and  manifested 
presence.  We  see  it  in  the  tabernacle  of  the  wilderness 
above  the  mercy-seat.  We  see  it  in  the  visions  of  Isaiah 
and  Ezekiel  in  connection  with  the  throne  of  God.  And 

37 


38 


POWER   FROM  ON   HIGH 


i;^ 


ti* 


it  reappears  in  the  Apocalypse  in  the  vision  of  heavenly 
glory. 

It  was  doubtless  a  type  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
or,  at  least,  a  symbol  of  His  person  and  glory.  The 
I'our  faces  of  the  lion,  the  ox,  the  eagle,  and  the  man, 
represent  His  kingliness,  His  sacrifice.  His  humanity, 
and  His  Deity;  and  the  four  Gospels  of  Matthew,  Mark, 
Luke,  and  John  are  just  an  unfolding  of  His  person 
in  these  four  glorious  aspects. 

As  this  figure  appeared  at  the  gate  of  their  lost  Eden, 
it  became  to  our  first  parents  the  symbol  of  Him,  the 
promised  seed  of  the  woman,  in  whom  that  lost  inherit- 
ance was  to  be  restored  and  that  forfeited  paradise  re- 
gained. It  did  not  mean  that  the  tree  of  life  was  lost 
forever;  but  rather  it  pointed  out  the  new  way  by  which 
that  tree  could  be  restored  again,  restored  by  way  of 
the  cherubim,  through  the  redeeming  work  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. 

BUT   WHAT   ABOUT  THE    SWORD? 

The  sword  was  the  token  and  emblem  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  even  as  the  cherubim  was  the  figure  of  Christ. 
The  word  in  the  Hebrew  is,  The  Lord  God  Shekinah, 
the  cherubim,  the  fiaming  sword.  This  was  the  same 
Shekinah  that  afterward  appeared  in  the  Holy  of  Holies. 
This  flaming  sword,  therefore,  was  nothing  else  than  the 
special  symbol  of  God's  immediate  presence  with  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

It  was  the  symbol,  therefore,  of  grace  rather  than 
of  judgment ;  and  while  it  involved  essentially  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  divine  righteousness,  which  could  no  longer 
permit  a  sinful  race  to  partake  of  the  tree  of  life  in 
the  old  way,  yet  it  also  pointed  forward  to  the  coming 
redemption  and  the  pro\nsion  through  Jesus  Christ 
which  was  to  open  those  gates  of  mercy  even  to  sinful 
men  through  the  blood  of  Jesus  and  the  renewing  grace 
of  the  Holy  Spirit. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  SPIRIT 


39 


eavenly 

Christ, 
►'.  The 
le  man, 
inanity, 
,  Mark, 

person 

t  Eden, 
im,  the 
inherit- 
dise  re- 
^as  lost 
r  which 
way  of 
le  Lord 


3  Holy 
Christ, 
skinah, 
i  same 
Holies, 
an  the 
th  the 

■  than 
)  prin- 
longer 
ife  in 
oming: 
Christ 
sinful 
grace 


The  flaming  sword  at  the  gate  of  Eden  was  the  embryo 
of  the  cross.  It  emphasized  the  great  truth  that  judg- 
ment must  come  before  mercy,  that  death  must  be  the 
gate  to  life,  and  that  the  old  natural  life  must  fall  before 
the  piercing  sword,  ere  we  can  enter  through  the  gates 
of  the  new  paradise,  and  partake  of  the  tree  of  life, 
that  life  that  is  incorruptible  and  everlasting. 

I. 

It  represents  the  slaying  power  of  the  Spirit.  The 
sword  is  the  symbol  of  death,  and  death  is  the  deepest 
revelation  of  Christ's  great  salvation.  The  grave  is  for- 
ever the  symbol  of  the  Gospel,  and  the  Cross  means  not 
only  His  death,  but  ours  too.  Therefore  Satan  hated  it, 
and  tried  to  make  Peter  reject  it,  as  he  cried,  "Pity 
Thyself,  Lord";  but  Jesus  refused  it,  and  told  him 
his  thought  was  born  of  Satan. 

The  reason  men  try  to  get  the  Cross  and  the  Blood 
out  of  their  new  Gospel  is  because  they  have  a  shrewd 
suspicion  that  as  there  was  a  cross  for  Him,  so  there 
must  also  be  a  cross  for  them;  but  in  no  other  way 
can  we  enter  into  life  everlasting.  All  that  is  born  of 
the  flesh  is  flesh,  and  under  the  curse.  Every  fragment 
and  fibre  of  the  natural  life  is  evil.  You  may  coax  it, 
you  may  flatter  it,  and  it  will  smile  upon  you;  but 
some  day,  if  you  cross  its  will,  it  will  spring  upon  you 
and  strike  you. 

Therefore,  the  sentence  of  death  has  passed  upon  all 
the  Adam  race,  and  the  fierj''  sword  must  destroy  every 
vestige  of  the  old  humanity  before  the  new  life  can  enter 
in  and  partake  of  that  life-giving  tree  which  stands  be- 
hind the  glorious  cherubim. 

And  this  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  put  to 
death  the  life  of  self  and  sin.  "We  cannot  do  it.  He 
alone  can.  We  may  trj'  to  crucify  ourselves  and  muti- 
late ourselves  with  a  thousand  blows;    but  every  time 


3 


40 


POWER    FItOM  ON    llIGJl 


wc  will  succeed  in  just  missing  a  vital  part,  and  the  old 
/  will  come  through  the  process,  all  alive  still.  Only 
the  flaming  sword  can  smite  to  death  the  self-centred, 
self -destroying  life  of  the  natural  man.  Wo,  therefore, 
read  in  the  eighth  of  Romans,  "If  ye  through  the  Spirit 
do  mortify  the  deeds  of  the  body,  ye  shall  live." 

We  see  this  truth  foreshadowed  through  the  whole 
Old  Testament.  The  destruction  of  the  race  by  the  flood 
was  but  a  figure.  The  Apostle  Peter  says  of  the  true 
baptism,  ''The  like  figure  whereunto  baptism  doth  also 
now  save  us,  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ." 
Therefore,  the  apostle  intimates  that  the  eight  souls  who 
passed  through  the  waters  of  the  flood  were  saved  hy 
water,  not  from  water. 

The  flood  that  destroyed  and  swept  away  the  ungodly 
race  that  was  engulfing  everything  in  corruption,  was 
God's  merciful  judgment,  sending  salvation  through 
destruction.  God  Himself  had  said,  "The  end  of  all 
flesh  is  come  before  me."  The  deluge  was  just  the 
death  and  burial  of  the  great  putrid  carcase  of  corrupt 
flesh  into  which  humanity  had  ripened. 

The  sacrifice  on  Mount  Moriah  was  another  foreshad- 
owing of  the  life  that  comes  through  self -surrender. 
The  sufferings  of  Joseph  were  the  very  pathway  to  his 
elevation  and  coronation.  The  passage  through  the 
Red  Sea  w^as  Israel's  baptism  of  death.  The  death  of 
the  first-born  and  the  destruction  of  Egypt 's  host  in  the 
same  flood  emphasized  and  vivified  the  same  picture. 
.Vnd  the  redemption  of  Israel's  firstborn  was  God's  own 
striking  figure  of  the  fact  that  the  whole  nation  was  ac- 
counted dead,  and  saved  as  from  the  dead. 

Before  Israel  could  enter  Canaan,  the  old  generation 
was  left  in  Egypt  to  die,  and  a  new  race  passed  through 
the  gates  of  Kadesh.  The  passage  of  the  Jordan  was 
but  the  type  of  deeper  death.  The  death  of  Moses  and 
the  succession  of  Joshua  who  alone  could  bring  them 


he  old 
Only 
ntred, 
refore, 
Spirit 

whole 
e  flood 
e  true 
th  also 
hrist." 
lis  who 
ved  b?y 

n godly 

>n,  was 

h  rough 

of  all 

list  the 
orrupt 

reshad- 
I'cnder. 
to  his 
h  the 
ath  of 
in  the 
icture. 
's  own 
as  ac- 

»ration 

irough 

m  was 

les  and 

them 


THE  ?WORI>  OF  THE  SPIRIT 


41 


into   the   proiniscul    land,   hlill   further   emphasized   the 
(Irath-side  of  IIumt  liiglirr  inhoritance  ii'ul  ours. 

'I'hu  cireiuucisioi]  was  the  Hguro  of  God's  death-stroke 
upon  our  natural  life.  All  the  types  of  the  canonical 
law  were  touched  by  the  death-mark.  Through  the 
blood  of  burnt  oftVrings,  sin  offerings,  and  peace  offer- 
ings, the  Hebrew  worshippers  and  the  Aaronic  priests 
entered   into   their   pbu'e   of   privilege   and   acceptance. 

The  cleansing  of  the  k'i)er  was  accompanied  by  the 
touching  figure  of  the  death  of  the  little  bird  and  the 
sprinkling  of  its  blood  upon  the  wing  of  its  companion. 
The  two  were  the  parable  of  (Jod's  cleansing  of  the  sin- 
ful heart  of  man.  I'ivcn  the  razor  nnist  cut  off  the  last 
hair  of  his  natural  strength  before  he  could  pass  in 
among  the  worshippers.  And  in  the  ordinance  of  the 
red  heifer,  not  only  the  s(!arlet  wool  that  was  the  figure 
of  sin,  but  also  the  little  hyssop  which  represented  our 
natural  life  and  the  finest  tendrils  of  its  strength  and 
beaut}',  must  be  consumed  with  the  burning  heifer. 

Not  only  must  **the  grass  wither,  but  the  flower  of 
the  grass  must  perish,  because  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
bloweth  upon  it."  The  death  sentence  must  be  executed 
against  the  beauty  and  the  blossom,  as  well  as  against 
the  grossness  and  the  sensuality  of  the  natural  life. 

Even  the  very  best  things  become  a  curse  to  us  so 
long  as  we  hold  them  with  our  natural  hands  and  hearts 
and  self-centred  spirits.  That  sweet  and  innocent  child 
whom  God  has  taught  you  to  love,  can  be  only  an  idol 
until  he  coasos  to  be  your  child,  and  becomes  God's  child, 
and  the  death  stroke  passes  upon  your  love,  and  you  learn 
in  the  resurrection  life  to  hold  him  for  God,  and  love 
him  not  as  a  selfish  pleasure  but  as  a  sacred  trust. 

Even  the  husband  into  whose  strong  hand  God  may 
have  put  your  trusting  little  hand,  may  become  but  a 
substitute  for  your  God,  and  a  separating  influence 
from  Him,  until  you  die  to  your  own  selfish  affection, 
and  learn  to  love  him  not  for  your  own  gratification, 


■■'H 


42 


POWER    PROM    ON    TIIGII 


in: 


or  his,  but  in  God  and  unto  (rod  and  for  his  own  highest 
good. 

Money  cannot  hurt  you  if  you  do  not  love  it  for  its 
own  sake.  It  is  not  your  fortune  that  hurts  you,  but 
your  clinging  fondness  for  it ;  and  so  long  as  that  fond- 
ness is  alive,  your  little  world  of  five  hundred  dollars 
a  year  is  as  much  hindrance  to  you  as  would  be  a  mil- 
lionaire's palaces  and  vast  investments.  It  is  not  the 
size  of  your  world  that  God  sees,  but  the  extent  to  which 
it  fills  your  heart. 

Even  your  Christian  influence,  your  reputation  as 
a  worker  for  God,  and  your  standing  among  your  breth- 
ren, may  be  to  you  an  idol  that  must  die,  before  you 
can  be  free  to  live  for  Him  alone. 

If  you  have  ever  noticed  the  type  on  a  printed  page, 
you  must  have  seen  that  the  little  **i'^  has  always  a 
dot  over  it,  and  that  this  dot  elevates  it  above  the  other 
letters  in  the  line. 

Now,  each  of  us  is  a  little  i;  and  over  every  one  of 
us  there  is  a  little  dot  of  self-importance,  self-will,  self- 
interest,  self-confidence,  self-complacency,  or  something 
to  which  we  cling  and  for  which  we  contend,  which  just 
as  surely  reveals  self-life  as  if  it  were  a  mountain  of 
real  importance. 

This  i  is  a  rival  of  Jesus  Christ,  an  enemy  of  the 
Holj^  Ghost,  and  of  our  peace  and  life.  Therefore,  God 
has  decreed  its  death,  and  (he  Holy  Spirit,  with  His 
flaming  sword,  is  waiting  to  destroy  it,  that  we  may 
be  able  to  enter  through  the  gates  and  come  to  the  Tree 
of  Life. 

How  can  this  be  accomplished? 

1.  We  must  ourselves  consent  to  it.  We  must  rec- 
ognize the  true  character  of  our  self-life  and  the  real 
quality  of  the  evil  thing.  We  must  consent  to  its  de- 
struction, and  we  ourselves  must  take  it  as  Abraham 
did  Isaac,  and  lay  it  at  the  feet  of  God  in  willing  sacri- 
fice. 


1 


lii 


THK  bWORD  OJ'   THE  HPIUIT 


43 


UghPRt 

for  its 
u,  but 
;  fond- 
dollars 
a  mil- 

lOt    tlU! 

which 

;ion  as 

breth- 

re  you 

i  page, 
ways  a 
e  other 

one  of 
11,  self- 
[lething 
eh  just 
tain  of 

of  the 
re,  God 
th  His 
^e  may 
le  Tree 


ist  rec- 

he  real 

its  de- 

)raham 

sacri- 


This  is  a  hard  work  for  the  natural  heart;  but  the 
moment  the  will  has  been  yielded  and  the  choiee  has  been 
made,  that  death  is  past;  tlu;  agony  is  over,  and  we 
are  astcmishud  to  find  that  th.  death  is  aec^)niplisliod. 

Usually  the  erisis  of  life  in  such  cases  hangs  u[)on  a 
single  point.  God  does  not  need  to  strike  us  in  a  hun- 
dred places  to  inflict  a  death  wound.  There  is  one  ])oint 
that  touches  the  heart,  and  that  is  the  point  God  usually 
strikes,  the  dearest  thing  in  our  life,  the  decisive  thing  in 
our  plans,  the  citadel  of  the  will,  the  centre  of  the 
heart.  Wlien  we  3'ield  there,  there  is  little  left  to  yield 
anywhere  else;  and  when  we  refuse  to  yield  at  this  point, 
a  spirit  of  evasion  and  compromise  enters  into  all  the 
rest  of  our  life. 

The  man  or  woman  who  has  honestly  and  entirely 
met  God  at  tlie  decisive  point  will  always  be  found  un- 
compromising and  thorough  at  every  other  crisis;  and 
the  man  or  woman  who  has  begun  with  a  half-sur- 
rendered will  always  has  a  reservation  up  to  the  end 
of  the  chapter,  unless  he  meets  with  God  at  some  later 
point  and  begins  where  he  ought  to  havvi  begun  before. 

The  cause  of  Saul's  ruin  was  his  unwillingness  to  obey 
God  and  yield  up  Agag  and  Anialek  to  death.  Saul 
carried  out  the  divine  commission  through  every  chapter 
but  one.  He  fought  his  battles  bravely,  he  managed  his 
campaigns  skillfully,  he  subdued  Amalek,  he  captured 
Agag,  he  left  no  point  in  the  possession  of  the  enemy ; 
but  he  kept  the  best  of  the  spoil  and  the  life  of  the 
king  for  hw  own  gratification,  pretending  that  he  did 
it  for  the  worship  of  God. 

This  was  the  cause  of  his  ruin.  Old  Samuel  gave  to 
the  ages  to  come  an  object  lesson  of  what  God  meant 
when  he  took  his  great  broadsword  and  hewed  Agag  to 
pieces  before  the  king,  and  told  his  cowardly  master 
**that  obedience  is  better  than  sacrifice,  and  to  hearken 
than  the  fat  of  rams." 

At  one  time  when  we  talked  with  a  dear  friend  who 


44 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


had  been  struggling  for  years  to  enter  into  a  satisfactory 
spiritual  experience,  she  told  us  how  disappointed  and 
unsatisfied  her  heart  was.  As  we  looked  at  her  earnest 
face  it  seemed  to  us  that  there  must  be  something  in 
the  way,  and  we  asked  her  if  tiiere  were  not  some  reserva- 
tion in  her  entire  consecration.  We  did  not  need  to 
wait  for  the  answer  for  it  bespoke  itself.  "We  then  asked 
her  if  she  would  not  be  brave  enough  to  let  the  last 
cord  go,  to  give  herself  unreservedly  to  Christ  at  any 
cost,  and  especially  to  let  go  the  thing  that  she  shrank 
most  at  the  thought  of  surrendering.  She  looked  so 
sadly  in  our  face,  and  answered,  "I  have  not  the  cour- 
age." Alas!  it  is  the  old  and  oft-repeated  story;  and 
yet  those  coward  hearts  who  shrink  from  God's  gentle 
8v/(  rd  will  yet  have  to  bear  suiferings  inconceivably  more 
severe,  and  to  be  pierced  with  sorrows  that  make  one's 
heart  ache  even  to  think  of. 

The  brave  heart  that  dares  to  die  once  for  all  and 
forever  is  the  wise  heart,  the  happy  heart,  the  heart 
that  finds  **the  yoke  easy  and  the  burden  light." 

Beloved,  will  you  dare  to  die,  or  rather  to  yield  unto 
death  that  thing  in  your  heart,  your  life,  your  will, 
V'hich  constitutes  the  strength  of  your  natural  life,  and 
the  axis  around  which  all  your  being  is  enfolded? 

Having  yielded  yourself  unto  death,  you  must  next 
believe  that  God  accepts  you,  and  that  the  Holy  Ghost 
undertakes  the  work,  and  really  accomplishes  it.  The 
command  of  the  Scriptures  is  very  simple  and  explicit 
at  this  point,  "Reckon  yourselves  dead  indeed  unto 
sin,  but  alive  unto  God,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord." 

This  act  is  purely  a  matt^n*  of  faith.  Faith  and  sight 
always  differ  to  such  an  extent  that,  while  to  your  senses 
it  does  not  seem  to  be  so,  your  faith  must  still  reckon 
it  as  true.  This  is  a  very  difficult  attitude  to  hold,  and 
only  as  we  thoroughly  believe  God,  can  we  thus  reckon 
upon  His  Word  and  His  Working.     As  we  do  so,  how- 


THE  SWORD  OF   THE  Sl'IRIT 


45 


ever,  faith  will  convert  it  into  fact,  and  it  will  be  even 
so. 

These  two  words,  ** yield"  and  ''reckon,"  are  pass- 
words into  the  resurrection  life.  They  are  like  the  two 
edges  of  the  "Sword  of  the  Spirit"  through  which  we 
enter  into  crucifixion  with  Christ. 

Thia  act  of  surrender  and  this  reckoning  of  faith  are 
recognized  in  the  New  Testament  as  marking  a  very 
definite  crisis  in  the  spiritual  life.  It  does  not  mean 
that  we  are  expected  to  be  going  through  a  continual 
dying,  but  that  there  should  be  one  very  definite  act 
of  dying,  and  then  a  constant  habit  of  reckoning  our- 
selves as  dead  and  meeting  everything  from  this  stand- 
point. 

In  the  sixth  chapter  of  Romans,  the  apostle  takes 
the  position  that  we  arje  to  meet  God  as  those  that  are 
alive  from  the  dead,  and  thus  enjoy  the  benefit  of  an 
accomplished  act  of  crucifixion.  Once  for  all  we  are 
to  hand  over  our  sin,  our  self,  and  all  our  belongings 
to  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  henceforth,  whatever  comes  up 
in  us,  we  are  to  reckon  it  as  no  longer  a  part  of  ourselves, 
but  to  steadily  refuse  to  recognize  it,  and  count  it  simply 
as  a  temptation.  Thus  we  shall  have  power  to  overcome 
it,  and  shall  be  able  to  maintain  our  consciousness  of 
purity  and  victory  unmoved. 

As  any  evil  comes  up,  and  the  consciousness  of  any 
unholy  thing  touches  our  inner  senses,  it  is  our  privilege 
at  once  to  hand  it  over  to  the  Holy  Ghost  and  to  lay  it 
upon  Jesus,  as  something  already  crucified  with  Him; 
and  as  of  old,  in  the  case  of  the  sin  offering,  it  will  be 
carried  without  the  camp  and  burned  to  ashes. 

There  may  be  deep  suffering,  there  may  be  protracted 
pain,  it  may  be  intensely  real ;  but  throughout  all  there 
will  be  a  very  sweet  and  sacred  sense  of  God'*:  presence, 
of  intense  purity  in  our  whole  spirit,  and  of  our  separa- 
tion from  the  evil  wliicli  is  b'^ing  consumed.  Truly,  it 
will  be  borne  without  the  camp,  so  that  even  the  smell 


46 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


of  the  burning  will  not  defile  the  holy  sanctuary  of  the 
consecrated  heart;  and  we  shall  come  out  of  the  fire 
without  even  the  smell  of  the  flames  upon  our  garments. 
It  is  so  blessed  to  have  the  Holy  Spirit  slay  things. 
No  sword  but  His  can  pass  so  perfectly  between  us  and 
the  evil,  so  that  it  consumes  the  sin  without  touching 
the  spirit.  Just  as  the  skillful  surgeon,  with  brave  heart 
and  keen  instrument,  can  pass  between  the  arteries  and 
veins  with  such  exquisite  delicacy  that  no  fibre  is  severed, 
and  no  injury  done  to  a  single  organ,  so  the  blessed 
Holy  Spirit,  and  He  alone,  can  separate  the  evil  from 
the  good,  and  "pierce  even  to  the  dividing  asunder  of 
soul  and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  marrow." 

n. 

This  brings  us  to  the  searching  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  for  this  fiery  sword  is  a  heart-searching  weapon 
as  well  as  a  sin  destroying  power. 

Undoubtedly  the  passage  in  the  fourth  chapter  of 
Hebrews  already  quoted,  refers  to  this  ancient  figure. 
"The  Word  of  God  is  quick  and  powerful,  and  sharper 
than  any  two-edged  sword,  piercing  even  to  the  dividing 
asunder  of  soul  and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  mar- 
row, and  is  a  discerner  of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of 
the  heart;  neither  is  there  any  creature  that  is  not 
manifest  in  his  sight." 

There  is  a  strong  and  subtle  power  in  electric  fire 
to  search  out  and  discriminate  between  substances  and 
detect  abnormal  and  unwholesome  conditions.  When  the 
electric  sponge  passes  over  the  human  frame,  it  leaves  no 
sensation  in  the  healthful  places;  but  if  there  is  disease 
anywhere  it  will  cling  to  the  spot  and  seem  to  search  it 
out  and  penetrate  it  with  a  subtle  touch,  often  with 
the  keenest  pain. 

In  like  manner  the  Holy  Ghost  passes  through  those 
portions  of  our  being  that  are  right  and  pure,  without 
any  sense  of  resistance,  or,  perhaps,  without  any  sen- 


I 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  SPIKIT 


47 


'ch  it 
with 


sation  whatever.  He  has  such  free  course  that  He  just 
seems  to  blend  with  our  own  consciousness.  But  when 
He  comes  to  anything  wrong,  there  is  immediate  resist- 
ance; and  as  He  presses  His  hand  upon  it,  there  is 
intense  suffering. 

The  sword  of  the  Spirit  is  searching  out  the  evil  and 
compelling  it  to  declare  itself,  just  as  the  skirmishing 
companies  in  the  advance  guard  of  the  army,  by  their 
firing  and  their  feint  attacks,  bring  out  the  foe  and 
compel  him  to  sliow  his  position. 

The  greatest  hindrance  to  our  spiritual  life  and  prog- 
ress is  found  in  the  disguise  of  the  enemy  and  the  de- 
ception of  our  own  nature.  The  evil  cannot  be  crucified 
^ntil  it  is  recognized,  diagnosed,  brought  into  the  Hght. 
and  delivered  over  to  death. 

Self  clothes  itself  in  so  many  disguises  that  nothing 
but  the  piercing  sword  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  the 
Holy  Scriptures  can  compel  it  to  take  its  true  place, 
and  own  its  evil  character. 

Some  one  has  said  that  it  is  half  the  battle  of  life 
to  call  things  by  their  true  names.  The  Holy  Spirit 
searches  out  our  sins,  and  He  finds  sin  in  many  places 
where  our  own  self-complacency  would  never  have  sus- 
pected it.  Not  only  does  He  detect  and  condemn  the 
gross  '  furms  of  immorality  and  disobedience,  which 
hav<^  ii»al  directly  with  the  ten  commandments  and 
the  ia\^  ^r  i.'ighteousness;  but  He  brings  us  face  to  face 
with  the  la*,  of  love,  and  shows  us  that  even  the  unkindly 
thought  is  murder,  the  unforgiving  spirit  is  an  unpar- 
donable sin,  the  habit  of  living  to  ourselves  rebellion 
against  God,  and  a  selfish  motive,  even  in  the  holiest 
act,  a  soul-defiling  sin. 

He  brings  us  face  to  face  with  the  law  of  faith,  and 
shov  i  us  that  to  doubt  God  is  a  crime,  to  treasure  an 
aiixii  {3  care  for  the  morrow  is  wickedness,  to  pray  in 
unbelief  is  to  take  the  name  of  God  in  vain,  and,  in 
short,  that  "whatever  is  not  of  faith  is  sin." 


\t'y 


48 


POWER  FROM   ON   HIGH 


He  takes  us  through  the  realm  of  truth  and  error. 
He  gives  us  the  touchstone  whereby  we  detect  the  false, 
and  learn  to  answer  even  Satan 's  quotation  of  Scripture 
by  Christ 's  own  weapon,  * '  It  is  written  again. ' ' 

He  discriminates  between  the  false  peace  and  the  true, 
the  earthly  and  the  incorruptible  joy,  the  love  that  is 
purely  a  natural  instinct  and  the  charity  that  is  Christ 's 
love,  which  never  faileth,  the  zeal  of  Jehu,  which  is 
but  a  selfish  passion,  and  the  holy  zeal  that  burns  as 
strongly  when  no  man  approves,  and  stands  as  firmly 
when  it  costs  ut  -^nr  very  life,  as  when  it  leads  us  to  a 
throne.  He  disui  lates  between  the  false  and  the 
true  worship,  the  pi^/er  prompted  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  the  Father  who  seeth  in  secret,  and  the  religious 
emotion  which  is  kindled  in  the  aesthetic  nature  by  an 
eloquent  sermon,  a  pathetic  story,  a  sentimental  appeal, 
or  a  sublime  musical  symphony  which  may  bring  tears 
to  the  eyes  while  the  heart  is  as  hard  as  adamant  to 
God  and  our  fellowmen. 

He  shows  us  the  difference  between  true  and  false  sub- 
mission and  the  weakness  that  yields  to  sickness  and 
Satan.  On  the  other  hand.  He  shows  us  the  true  patience 
that  lovingly  bows  to  the  will  of  God,  bui  refuses  the 
weights  that  the  adversary  would  put  upon  us. 

He  leads  us  to  pray  with  the  Psalmist,  ''Search  me, 
0  God,  and  know  my  heart;  try  me  and  know  my 
thoughts;  and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me, 
and  lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting.'* 

He  gives  us  that  perfect  abandonment  of  spirit  which 
makes  us  willing  to  be  searched  and  glad  to  be  laid 
open  to  the  eye  of  God,  and  to  cry,  "See  if  there  be 
in  me  any  way  of  grief,"  as  the  margin  reads,  or  **any 
way  of  pain,"  as  the  new  version  renders  it.  It  makes 
us  glad  to  be  sanctified  from  not  only  the  wicked  but 
also  the  earthly  thing,  and  to  be  so  separated  from  all 
self-life  that  every  way  of  pain  shall  be  prevented. 


THE  SWORD  OF  THE  SPIRIT 


49 


which 
laid 

re  be 
any 

Tiakes 
but 

m  all 

nted. 


and  everything  in  us  that  could  hurt  us  shall  be  sub- 
dued. Thus  shall  we  be  enabled  not  only  to  lay  aside 
the  sin  that  so  easily  besets  us,  but  every  weight  that 
would  so  lightly  hold  us  back. 

The  blessed  Holy  Spirit,  who  possesses  the  consecrated 
heart,  is  intensely  concerned  for  our  highest  life,  and 
watches  us  with  a  sensitive,  and  even  a  jealous  love. 
Very  beautiful  is  the  true  translation  of  that  ordinary 
passage  in  the  Epistle  of  James,  "The  Spirit  that  dwell- 
eth  in  us  loveth  us  to  jealousy." 

The  heart  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  intensely  concerned 
in  preserving  us  from  every  stain  and  blemish,  and 
bringing  us  into  the  very  highest  possibilities  of  the 
will  of  God. 

The  Heavenly  Bridegroom  would  have  His  Church 
free  not  only  from  every  spot,  but  also  from  "every 
wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing."  The  spot  is  the  mark  of 
sin,  but  the  wrinkle  is  the  sign  of  weakness,  age,  and 
decay.  He  wants  no  such  defacing  touch  upon  the  holy 
features  of  His  Beloved.  Therefore,  the  Holy  Ghost, 
who  is  the  Executor  of  His  will,  and  the  divine  Mes- 
senger whom  He  sends  to  call,  separate,  and  bring  home 
His  Bride,  is  jealously  concerned  in  fulfilling  in  us  all 
the  Master's  will,  and  is  ever  searching  us  through  and 
through,  with  more  and  more  tenderness,  and  with  the 
most  earnest  solicitude,  to  find  out  every  hidden  fault 
and  every  unsupplied  lack,  and  to  bring  us  up  into  the 
fullness  of  the  stature  of  spiritual  manhood  and  entire 
preparation  for  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb. 

Shall  we  wel  ome  His  loving  scrutiny  and  His  faith- 
ful caret    Shall  we  cry, 

"Search  me,  O  God,  search  me  and  know  my  heart, 
Search  me  and  try  me  in  the  hidden  part; 
Cleanse  me  and  make  me  holy  as  Thou  art, 

And   lead  me  in  the  way  everlastinjj. " 


50 


POWER    KKOM   ON    HIGH 


m. 


i'M    'i. 


THE   SUBDUING  POWER   OP  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  God's  Executive  not  only  for  the 
salvation  and  sanctification  of  His  people,  but  for  the 
conviction  of  sinners  and  the  judgment  of  wicked  men, 
the  destruction  of  the  enemies  of  God,  and  the  final 
punishment  of  the  devil  and  his  angels. 

This  sword  is  God's  weapon  for  slaying  the  proud 
and  willful  sinner  and  laying  him  at  the  feet  of  mercy. 
We  can  entertain  and  interest  men,  but  only  the  Holy 
Ghost  can  convict  them  of  sin,  and  pierce  them  to  the 
heart  with  profound  and  soul-saving  conviction.  We 
are  so  glad  that  there  is  One  who  bears  this  mighty 
sword,  and  uses  it  through  His  Holy  Word,  when  faith- 
fully presented,  to  break  the  sinner's  heart  and  bring 
him  to  the  feet  of  Jesus. 

But  the  Holy  Spirit  is  also  God's  mighty  hand  to 
avenge  His  honor  against  the  wicked,  and  punish  those 
who  disobey  Him  and  harm  His  people.  The  same  power 
that  struck  down  Ananias  and  Sapphira  in  Pentecostal 
days  is  still  in  the  church  and  the  world;  and  wher- 
ever God's  presence  is,  there,  in  a  remarkable  degree. 
His  judgments  are  made  known. 

It  is  a  very  solemn  thing  to  presume  against  the  Holy 
Ghost.  He  is  the  author  of  liuman  life,  and  in  a  moment 
He  can  take  it  away.  "If  I  whet  my  glittering  sword, 
and  my  hand  take  hold  on  judgment,"  God  Himself 
hath  said,  and  "Who  is  he  that  can  deliver  out  of  my 
hand?"  That  is  a  true  and  awful  word:  "Vengeance 
is  mine,  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord,"  and  again,  "De- 
fraud not  one  another,  for  God  is  the  avenger  of  all 
such." 

I  would  not  like  to  have  orphan  children  and  widowed 
wives  cry  out  against  me  to  God.  I  would  not  like  to 
have  the  little  hand  of  wronged  and  innocent  children 
pleading  to  heaven   for  my  punishment.     T  would  not 


i  . 


THE   SWORD   OF   THK   SPIRIT 


51 


like  to  have  to  meet  that  tvemendoiis  sentence,  after  n 
life  of  reckless  evil-speaking  against  the  servants  of 
God,  "Touch  not  mine  anointed,  and  do  my  prophets 
no  harm."  I  would  rather  play  with  the  forked  light- 
ning, or  take  in  my  hands  living  wires  with  their  fiery 
current,  than  speak  a  reckless  word  against  any  servant 
of  Christ,  or  idly  repeat  the  slanderous  darts  which 
thousands  of  Christians  are  hurling  on  others,  to  the 
hurt  of  their  own  souls  and  bo<lies. 

You  may  often  wonder,  perhaps,  why  your  sickness 
is  not  healed,  your  spirit  filled  with  the  joy  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  or  your  life  blessed  and  prosperous.  It  may  be 
that  some  dart  which  you  have  flung  with  angry  voice, 
or  in  an  idle  hour  of  thoughtless  gossip,  is  pursuing  you 
on  its  returning  way,  as  it  describes  the  circle  whicli 
always  brings  back  to  the  source  from  which  it  came 
every  shaft  of  bitterness,  and  every  idle  and  evil  word. 

Let  us  remember  that  when  we  persecute  or  hurt  the 
children  of  God,  we  are  but  persecuting  Him,  and  hurt- 
ing ourselves  far  more. 

Finally,  there  is  an  hour  coming,  in  which  "the  Lord 
with  his  sore  and  great  and  strong  sword  shall  punish 
leviathan,  the  piercing  serpent,  even  leviathan,  that 
crooked  servant;  and  He  shall  slay  the  dragon  that 
is  in  the  sea." 

Then  even  Satan  himself  shall  feel  the  sharp  and 
fiery  force  of  that  flaming  sword,  which  he  saw  for  the 
first  time  in  its  awful  gleam,  as  he  went  out  from  Eden's 
gate  with  the  fearful  crime  of  man's  destruction  upon 
his  head,  and  the  tremendous  curse  which  that  fiery 
sword  is  yet  to  execute. 

That  hour  has  not  yet  fully  come ;  but  even  yet,  thank 
God,  that  Blessed  Holy  Spirit  is  here  to  resist  and  to 
overcome  the  power  of  the  destroyer. 

He  was  Christ's  strength  and  defence  in  the  conflict 
in  the  wilderness,  and  He  Himself  hath  said,  "When 


POWER  FROM  O.N    HIGH 


the  enemy  coiucth  in  like  a  flood,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
will   lift   up   a.   standard    against    liim." 

There  arc  aome  things  tiiat  only  God  can  wither; 
and  it  is  very  blessed  that,  in  connection  with  the  only 
miracle  of  judgment  that  Christ  performed,  the  wither- 
ing of  the  fig  tree,  He  gave  to  us  His  strongest  lesson 
upon  human  faith,  and  told  us  that  we  might  claim 
such  faith  as  would  wither  the  barren  fig  tree,  and  de- 
stroy the  powers  of  evil  that  were  too  strong  for  us. 

It  is  blessed  to  have  a  God  who  knows  how  not  only 
to  cleanse  and  purify  us,  but  to  destroy  our  spiritual 
foes,  and  to  deal  even  with  our  human  adversaries. 
"Our  God  is  a  consuming  fire,  and  the  Lord  shall  judge 
His  people."  If  we  could  only  realize  what  those  tre- 
mendous words  mean,  "Our  God  is  a  consuming  fire," 
we  should  feel  so  sorry  for  the  man  who  wrongs  us, 
that  we  should  wish  him  no  evil,  but  would  tremble  at 
the  thought  of  his  judgment.  We  would  get  down  upon 
our  knees  and  plead  with  God  to  have  mercy  upon  him. 

Beloved,  let  us  pass  through  this  flaming  sword  with- 
out a  reservation.  Then  we  shall  not  only  be  fearless 
of  its  power  to  harm  us,  but  it  will  be  our  mighty 
weapon  against  every  adversary  and  every  evil,  and 
the  power  of  our  aggressive  warfare  for  the  service  of 
men  and  the  triumph  of  our  Master  *s  Kingdom. 


I    ISii 


I  i  i'hi 


e  Lord 

Aithcr; 
ic  only 
wither- 
lesson 
;  claim 
ind  de- 
r  us. 
ot  only 
jiritual 
rsaries. 
I  judge 
)se  tre- 
r  fire," 
ngs  us, 
iible  at 
n  upon 
n  him. 

with- 
"earless 
mighty 
il,  and 
vicQ  of 


^ 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  PILLAR  OF  CLOUD  AND  PIRE. 

"And  the  Lord  went  before  them  by  day  in  a  pillar  of  cloud, 
to  lead  them  the  way;  and  by  night  in  a  pillar  of  fire,  to  give 
them  light;  to  go  by  day  and  night:  he  took  not  away  the  pillar 
of  the  cloud  by  day,  nor  the  pillar  of  fire  by  night,  from  before  the 
people.  "—Exodus    13:21,    22. 

"And  the  Angel  of  God,  which  went  before  the  camp  of 
Israel,  removed  and  went  behind  them;  and  the  pillar  of  cloud 
went  from  before  their  face,  and  stood  behind  them:  and  it  came 
between  the  camp  of  the  Egyptians  and  the  camp  of  Israel ;  and  it 
was  a  cloud  of  darkness  to  them,  but  it  gave  light  by  night  to 
these:  so  that  the  one  came  not  near  the  other  all  night." — 
Exodus    14:  19,   20. 

"Then  a  cloud  covered  the  tent  of  the  congregation,  and  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  tabernacle.  And  Moses  was  not  able 
to  enter  into  the  tent  of  the  congregation,  because  the  cloud 
abode  thereon,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  tabernacle. 
And  when  the  cloud  was  taken  up  from  over  the  tabernacle,  the 
children  of  Israel  went  onward  in  all  their  journeys:  but  if  the 
cloud  were  not  taken  up  then  they  journeyed  not  till  the  day 
that  it  was  taken  up.  For  the  cloud  of  the  Lord  was  upon  the 
tabernacle  by  day,  and  the  fire  was  on  it  by  night,  in  the  sight 
of  all  the  house  of  Israel,  throughout  all  their  journeys." — 
Exodus   40 :  34-38. 

"And  the  cloud  of  the  Lord  was  upon  them  by  day,  when 
they  went  out  of  the  camp.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  ark 
set  forward,  that  Moses  said.  Rise  up.  Lord,  and  let  Thine  enemies 
be  scattered,  and  let  them  tUat  hate  Thee  flee  before  Thee.  And 
when  it  rested,  he  said,  Return,  O  Lord,  unto  the  many  thou- 
sands of  Israel." — Numbers  10:  34,  36. 

"Moreover,  brethren,  1  would  not  that  ye  should  be  ignorant, 
how  that  all  our  fathers  were  under  the  cloud,  and  all  passed 
through  the  sea;  and  were  all  baptized  unto  Moses  in  the  cloud 
and  in   the  sea." — I   Corinthians    10:  1,   2. 

THE  application  to  the  Holy  Spirit  of  these  beauti- 
ful passages,  and  of  the  sublime  figure  that  runs 
through  all   of  thc^,   is   rendered  certain  by  the 
words  of  the  prophet  Isaiah,  in  the  sixty-third  chapter. 

53 


54 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


"In  all  their  afBiction  He  waa  afflicted,  and  the  angel 
of  TTis  presence  saved  them :  in  His  love  and  in  His 
pity  He  redeemed  them :  and  He  bare  them,  and  carried 
them  all  the  days  of  old. 

"But  they  rebelled,  and  vexed  His  Holy  Spirit:  there- 
fore He  was  turned  to  be  their  enemy,  and  11  o  fovijjht 
against  them. 

'*Then  He  remembered  the  days  of  old,  Moses,  and 
his  people,  saying.  Where  is  He  that  brought  them  up 
out  of  the  sea  with  the  shepherd  of  his  flock?  where  is 
He  that  put  His  Holy  Spirit  within  him?  That  led 
them  by  the  right  hand  of  Moses  with  His  glorious 
arm,  dividing  the  water  before  them,  to  make  Himself 
an  everlasting  name?  That  led  them  through  the  deep, 
as  an  horse  in  the  wilderness,  that  they  should  not 
stumble  f 

"As  a  beast  goeth  down  into  the  valley,  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  caused  him  to  rest:  so  didst  Thou  lead 
Thy  people,  to  make  Thyself  a  glorious  name." 

The  prophet  expressly  recognizes  the  Holy  Spirit  as 
the  presence  who  dwelt  in  the  midst  of  Israel,  and  led 
them  through  the  Ked  Sea  and  the  wilderness. 

The  figure  under  which  He  is  represented  in  these 
passages  is  striking  and  sublime.  It  was  customary 
for  ancient  armies,  when  marching  through  a  foreign 
country,  to  be  led,  especially  by  night,  by  great  illu- 
minations of  torches  and  beacons  carried  in  front  of  the 
advancing  host,  and  rising  in  the  darkess  with  lurid 
smoke   and  flame. 

It  would  not,  therefore,  be  altogether  surprising  for 
the  host  of  Israel  to  see  in  front  the  majestic  signal 
of  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire;  and  yet,  this  Avas  no 
merely  human  beacon  light.  With  a  majesty  unearthly 
and  divine,  it  reared  its  fiery  column  to  the  sky,  and 
marched,  like  a  mighty  sentinel,  before  the  host,  pausing 
when  they  were  to  rest,  moving  when  they  were  to  ad- 
vance, separating  them  from  their  foes,  and  sometimes 


TWK  PILL  A  I?   OF  OLOUD   AND  FIRE 


55 


R  angel 
in  His 
carried 

:  there- 
fovigbt 

les,  and 
hem  lip 
v^here  is 
hat  led 
glorious 
Himself 
tie  deep, 
uld  not 

e  Spirit 
lou  lead 

Spirit  as 
and  led 

Hn  these 

Rtoinary 

foreign 

?at  illii- 

t  of  the 

h  lurid 

ing  for 

signal 

was  no 

earthly 

and 


K^ 


)ausing 

to  ad- 

letimes 


spreading  its  folds  like  the  canopy  of  a  great  oplestial 
tent  about  their  heads,  and  sheltering  them  from  the 
fiery  heat  of  the  desert  sun. 

1.  It  was  a  supernatural  symbol.  They  were  to  be 
guided  henceforth  by  Jehovah  Himself.  This  was  their 
peculiar  distinction,  that  "the  Lord  alone  did  lead 
them."  This  was  the  place  where  Moses  was  interceding 
for  them  with  God.  "Wlierein  shall  we  be  distinct 
from  all  the  other  people  of  the  earth,  except  Thou 
go  with  us,"  and  His  gracious  answer  was,  "My  pres- 
ence shall  go  with  you  and  I  will  give  you  rest." 

The  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire  did  not  represent  even 
an  angel's  guidance  and  guardianship.  It  was  the  sign 
of  God's  own  presence. 

In  the  same  way  the  Church  of  the  living  God  has 
a  supernatural  leadership.  The  Christian  has  a  divine 
guide.  Our  holy  Christianity  is  not  a  collection  of  wise 
human  opinions,  and  an  organization  combining  the 
strongest  forces  of  human  wisdom  and  power.  It  is 
nothing,  if  it  is  not  divine.  Give  us  a  supernatural 
religion,  or  none  at  all. 

The  church  of  the  Apostles  was  a  living  miracle, 
and  so  should  the  church  of  the  nineteenth  century  be. 
Anything  less  and  anything  else  is  a  disappointment 
to  God  and  to  every  true  man. 

Not  with  such  transcendent  portents  as  in  days  of 
old  does  He  now  appear.  But  none  the  less  real  are 
His  living  presence  and  His  mighty  working  in  the 
hearts  of  His  people  and  in  the  events  of  His  provi- 
dence. 

Why  should  God  be  less  real  and  glorious  today  than 
in  the  days  of  Moses,  the  triumphs  of  Joshua,  and  the 
miracles  of  Pentecost?  Let  us  send  up  to  Him  the 
heartfelt  prayer,  "Awake,  0  arm  of  the  Lord,  as  in 
the  days  of  old ' ' !  And  let  us  hear  in  answer,  His  own 
sunmions  to  us:  "Awake,  awake,  put  on  thy  strength. 
0  Zion.  thy  beautiful  garments,  0  Jerusalem!' 


i>» 


56 


powKu  FROM  ON  Tiir.n 


2.  The  pillar  of  cloud  aud  lire  wa^  a  sour(3e  of  light, 
of  truth  and  guidance  to  His  people.  BarbHric  super- 
stition delights  in  the  wonderful,  but  divine  power  mani- 
fests itself  in  the  practical  and  the  useful.  God  wants 
not  to  play  with  us,  an  a  magician  with  his  wondering 
audience,  but  to  guide  us  as  a  shepherd  would  his  Hock. 
Because  He  wants  to  give  us  His  life,  His  Word  has 
little  to  say  about  subjects  that  appeal  principally  to 
our  curiosity,  but  speaks  mainly  to  the  intelligence,  the 
understanding,  and  the  heart. 

The  Holy  Grhost  comes  not  to  give  us  extraordinary 
manifestations,  but  to  give  us  life  and  light.  The  nearer 
we  come  to  Him,  the  more  simple  will  His  illumination 
and  leading  be.  He  comes  to  ''guide  us  into  all  truth." 
He  comes  to  shed  light  upon  our  own  hearts,  and  to 
show  us  ourselves.  He  comes  to  reveal  Christ,  to  give, 
and  then  to  illumine  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  to  n\p 
divine  realities  vivid  and  clear  to  our  spiritual  ap] 
hension.  He  comes  as  a  Spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation 
in  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  to  "enlighten  the  eyes  of 
our  understanding,  that  we  may  know  what  is  the  hope 
of  his  calling,  and  what  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  his 
inheritance  in  the  saints,  and  what  is  the  exceeding 
greatness  of  his  power  to  usward  who  believe,  according 
to  the  working  of  his  mighty  power." 

Without  Him  there  is  no  true  light.  These  holy  mys- 
teries, these  divine  realities  which  to  us  are  so  dear, 
are  incomprehensible  to  the  most  intelligent  human 
minds.  Two  men  sitting  side  by  side  hear  the  same 
truths,  read  the  same  words,  live  under  the  same  re- 
ligious influences.  To  the  one  they  are  uninteresting 
and  unreal,  while  to  the  other  they  are  his  very  life. 

As  of  old,  when  the  same  cloud  was  light  to  Israel, 
and  darkness  to  the  Egyptians,  "so  that  they  came  not 
near  each  other  all  the  night,"  so  still  it  is  true  that 
"the  natural  man  perceiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit 
of  God,  neither  indeed  can  he  know  them,  for  they  are 


THE  PILLAI?   OF  CLOm    AND   VUIK 


a7 


f  light, 
i  supcr- 
r  mani- 
i  wants 
lulering 
lis  tiock. 
ord  has 
pally  to 
jnce,  tlie 

ordinary 
le  nearer 
inination 
I  truth." 
I,  and  to 
,  to  give, 
to  m;' 
al  api 
'cvelation 
3  eyes  ol: 
the  hope 
ry  of  his 
'xceeding 
leeording 

loly  mys- 
so  dear, 

human 

he  same 

same  re- 

|teresting 

ery  life. 

o  Israel, 

ame  not 

rue  that 

e  Spirit 
they  are 


spiritually  discerned;  h\\\  Ijo  tliat  is  spiritual  scarchoth 
all  things,  yea,  the  deep  things  of  God." 

3.  As  it  was  a  pillar  of  cloud  as  well  as  of  light, 
so,  as  we  have  seen,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  as  dark  to  the 
unbeliever  as  He  is  light  to  the  saint.  The  things  of 
God  are  as  dark  to  the  world  as  they  are  beautiful  and 
plain  to  the  true  disciple.  And  even  to  God's  children 
there  is  an  element  of  cloud,  as  well  as  luminousness. 

There  is  a  veiled  light  which  is  as  necessary  some- 
liiiies  as  the  unclouded  sun.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  given 
to  reveal  many  things  to  us,  '*but  we  cannot  bear  them 
now."  Ho  reserves  His  deeper  teachings  until  we  can 
stand  them  and  understand  them.  We  do  not  always  see 
our  way,  and  it  is  better  that  we  do  not.  We  nmst 
learn,  as  well  as  trust,  even  in  the  c'  »ud.  The  very 
highest  lessons  on  faith  are  taught  by  the  veiled  light, 
and  the  way  we  cannot  understand.  *'I  will  lead  them 
by  the  way  they  know  not,"  is  still  His  word  to  every 
trusting  child;  but  He  always  adds,  "These  things  will 
I  do  unto  them,  and  not  forsake  them." 

The  presence  of  clouds  upon  your  sky,  and  trials  in 
your  path,  is  the  ver>'  best  evidence  that  you  are  fol- 
lowing the  pillar  of  cloud,  and  walking  in  the  presence 
of  Gt)d.  They  had  to  enter  the  cloud  before  they  could 
behold  the  glory  of  the  transfiguration.  A  little  later 
that  same  cloud  became  the  chariot  to  receive  the  as- 
cending Lord,  and  it  is  still  waiting  as  the  chariot  that 
will  bring  His  glorious  appearing. 

Still  it  is  true  that  while  "clouds  and  darkness  are 
round  about  His  throne,"  mercy  and  truth  are  ever  in 
their  midst,  and  shall  go  before  His  face. 

Perhaps  the  most  beautiful  and  gracious  use  of  the 
cloud  was  to  shelter  them  from  the  fiery  sun.  Like  a 
great  umbrella,  that  majestic  pillar  spread  its  canopy 
above  the  camp,  and  became  a  shielding  shadow  from 
the  burning  heat  in  the  treeless  desert.     No  one  who 


58 


POWER  FROM   ON   HIGH 


has  never  felt  an  oriental  sun  can  fully  appreciate  how 
much  this  means, — a  shadow  from  the  heat. 

So  the  Holy  Spirit  comes  between  us  and  the  fiery, 
scorching  rays  of  sorrow  and  temptation,  and  under 
His  shadow  we  sit  and  sing: 

'  *  All  my  hope  on   Thee   is   stayed, 
All  my  help    from    Thee   1   bring; 
Cover  my   defeuseless  head 

With   the   shadow    of   Thy    wing." 

4.  It  was  a  pillar  of  fire.  Fire  is  more  than  light. 
It  not  only  iliumiiios,  it  warms,  it  purifies,  it  destroys. 
It  is  the  same  Holy  Ghost  who  baptizes  with  water  and 
with  fire,  but  it  is  not  the  same  measure  of  the  baptism. 

The  baptism  of  fire  is  a  baptism  that  penetrates 
the  inmost  fibres  of  our  being,  consuming  the  old  life, 
cleansing  and  quickening  our  entire  being,,  and  endu- 
ing us  with  power  from  on  high. 

God  wants  to  bring  every  one  of  us  to  such  a  place, 
that  we  shall  not  fear  the  fire,  because  everything  com- 
bustible will  have  been  consumed. 

5.  The  pillar  went  beforr  them.  They  saw  it  first 
in  front  of  them,  far  off,  and  far  above  them.  It  came 
to  them  first  when  they  were  in  Egypt,  and  it  led 
them  out  of  the  land  of  bondage. 

And  so  the  Holy  Spirit  aomes  to  us  even  in  our  life 
of  sin,  and  ieads  us  out  of  the  world  to  Christ,  and  to 
begin  our  pilgrimage  toward  oar  Promised  Land. 

The  presence  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  His  first  mani- 
festation is  distant,  and  we  shrink,  perhaps,  from  Hi.s 
closer  touch.  We  know  Him  an  One  that  brings  to  us 
the  knowledge  of  God,  the  message  of  Christ,  and  the 
hope  of  salvation,  and  guides  us  in  our  first  steopings 
into  Christian  life;  but  we  have  not  yet  come  to  know 
Hira  as  our  indwelling  Guest  and  our  everlasting  Com- 
forter. 


THE  PILLAR  OF  CLOUD  ANV   FIRE 


59 


ate  how 

le  fiery, 
i  under 


an  light. 

destroys. 

'ater  and 

baptism. 

lenetrates 

old  life, 

nd  endu- 

a  place, 
ling  com- 

it  first 

It  came 

id  it  led 

our  life 
It,  and  to 
land. 
hi  mani- 
Erora  Hift 
igs  to  us 
and  the 
^teppii'gs 
to  know 
if.g  Com- 


6.  The  pillar  of  cloud  came  closer  to  them,  passed 
through  the  camp,  and  baptized  them  in  its  very  pres- 
ence, and  then  passed  and  stood  behind  them.  This 
was  as  they  went  through  the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea 
When  that  hour  of  peril  came,  and  they  walked  down 
by  faith  into  what  seemed  a  living  death,  tlien  their 
glorious  Guide  came  nearer  to  their  trembling  hearts, 
enfolded  them  in  His  very  arms,  and  then  stood  behind 
them  like  a  wall  of  defence  against  their  foes. 

Thus  when  we  step  out  in  living  faith,  and  cross 
the  Red  Sea  which  separates  us  from  our  past  and  sin- 
ful life,  and  we  go  down  into  the  waters  of  death  with 
Jesus,  the  Holy  Spirit  comes  nigher  and  baptizes  us 
with    His   very   touch    and   presence. 

The  baptism  of  water,  which  is  the  type  of  death, 
is  significant  of  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  When 
Jesus  went  down  into  the  Jordan  and  received  baptism 
at  the  hands  of  John,  "He  saw  the  heavens  opened, 
and  the  Spirit,  like  a  dove  descending,  and  it  abode  upon 
Him."  And  the  nromise  of  the  Spirit,  in  Acts  wa.s 
connected  with  baptism.  "Repeat  and  be  baptized, 
everj'  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the 
remissions  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost."  So  we  read  that  "they  were  all  baptized 
unto  Moses  in  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea."  As  they 
stepped  into  the  Red  Sea,  the  heavenly  cloud  enwrapped 
its  folds  around  them,  and  they  were  immersed  in  both 
baptisms.  .  Probably  at  the  moment  when  th^  cloud 
passed  through  the  midst  of  the  camp,  they  were  less 
conscious  of  its  presence  than  they  had  been  when  it 
stood  in  the   front. 

So  when  we  pass  into  the  cloud  we  are  not  conscious 
of  it.  All  we  are  conscious  of  is  mist  and  darkness, 
so  that,  frequently,  when  we  receive  the  Holy  Ghost  we 
are  not  directly  conscious  of  what  is  occurring.  We 
are,  perhaps,  so  plunged  in  darkness,  so  consumed  with 
hunger  and  desire,  and  so  constantly  reachinc  out   to 


00 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


'f : 

.■i!;;:| 


■ ,  1 


God  that  we  do  not  realize  our  own  condition.     All 
the  better,  should  it  be  so. 

A  friend  said  to  me  the  other  day,  "I  am  so  hungry, 
I  so  long  for  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  T  asked 
him,  **Wlio  made  you  so  hungry?  Who  gave  you  this 
longing?  It  was  the  very  Holy  Ghost.  He  is  already 
with  you  in  the  shadow-side  of  the  blessing,  and  He 
who  gave  the  capacity  for  the  appetite  is  Himself  near 
to  meet  it  and  satisfy  it." 

7.  The   pillar   stood  behind   them. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  ever  our  rear-guard.  He  takes 
our  past  and  hides  it  from  us.  Behind  them  lay  Egypt 
and  the  Egyptians,  all  the  past  with  its  sin  and  its 
shame,  and  all  their  adversaries. 

Thus  the  Holy  Ghost  shuts  us  off  from  all  that  we 
have  been,  and  from  all  that  can  come  against  us.  Oh, 
how  blessed  it  is,  to  put  Him  between  you  and  your 
sins,  between  you  and  your  troubles,  between  you  and 
your  enemies,  between  you  and  your  memories,  and  to 
have  Him  for  your  glorious  rearward! 

8.  The  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire,  a  little  later,  came 
and  dwelt  within  them.  There  came  a  day, — and  it 
was  an  era  in  their  history, — when  a  very  wonderful 
change  occurred  in  the  position  of  that  pillar.  It  was 
the  first  day  of  the  first  month,  in  the  second  year  of 
their  history. 

They  had  just  completed  the  erection  of  the  taber- 
nacle, that  simple  and  divinely  planned  little  sanctuary, 
which  was  God's  perfect  pattern  and  type  of  the  Church 
and  the  individual  saint.  Every  board,  tache,  loop, 
and  curtain  had  been  finished  and  placed  according  to 
God's  precise  command.  Every  article  of  furniture 
wa.s  in  its  place,  and  they  simply  took  their  hands  off, 
and  gave  it  God,  anointing  it  with  oil,  as  the  symbol 
of  the  Holy  Spirit's  receiving  and  accepting  the  offer- 
ing. 


^.k 


THE  PILLAR  OF  CLOUD  AND  FIRE 


61 


I.     All 

lungry, 
[  asked 
ou  this 
already 
md  He 
slf  near 


ie  takes 
^  Egypt 
and  its 

that  we 
us.  Oh, 
nd  your 
you  and 
and  to 

»r,  came 
-and  it 

mderful 
It  was 
year  of 

le  taber- 
(nctuary, 
Church 
le,  loop, 
Irding  to 
lurniture 
mds  off, 
symbol 
offer- 


Immediately  that  majestic  cloud  which  had  crowned 
the  mount  with  its  fiery  glory,  and  floated  in  the  heavens 
in  its  lofty  grandeur,  stooped  from  the  skies  and  entered 
that  holy  place;  and  there,  in  the  Holy  of  Holies,  be- 
tween the  wings  of  the  cherubim  and  the  mercy  seat,  it 
took  its  place  as  the  glowing  Shekinah,  that  mysterious 
light  and  awful  flame,  which  henceforth  became  the 
supernatural  sign  of  God's  immediate  presence,  and 
which  lit  up  the  holy  chamber  with  supernatural  light 
and  glory,  God  had  moved  into  His  consecrated  and 
accepted  abode,  and  henceforth  He  was  no  longer  at 
a  distance  on  a  throne  of  glorj--,  but  within  the  midst 
of  Israel,  seated  on  the  throne  of  grace. 

i\jid  so  in  the  opening  verses  of  the  very  next  chapter 
we  read  that  God  spoke  unto  Moses,  not  from  the  moun- 
tain, nor  from  the  cloud,  but  from  the  tabernacle. 
Mystery  of  mysteries!  Gift  of  gifts!  Privilege  un- 
speakable and  divine!  This  is  the  promise  which  He 
has  at  length  fulfilled  to  His  Church  and  Hi^  people, 
and  which  every  believer  may  now  personally  claim. 
''Know  ye  not  that  ye  are  the  temple  of  d.  and  that 
the  Spirit  of  God  dwelleth  in  j'ou?"  *'!  will  put  my 
Spirit  within  you.  and  cause  you  to  walk  in  my  stattites, 
and  ye  shall  keep  my  judgments,  and  do  them."  'I 
will  dwell  in  them,  and  walk  in  them;  and  I  will  be 
their  God,  and  they  shall  be  my  people." 

"If  any  man  w'ill  hear  my  voice,  and  open  the  door, 
I  will  come  in  unto  him,  and  sup  with  him,  and  he 
with  me."  "He  dw^elleth  with  von,  and  shall  be  in 
you."  At  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  my 
Father,  and  ye  in  mo,  and  I  in  yon."  "If  a  man  love 
me,  he  will  keep  m.y  words;  and  my  Father  will  love 
him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and  make  our  abode 
with  him." 

Where  is  thy  God?  Yonder  on  a  throne  of  glory, 
in  the  heights  of  heaven,  or  here  in  the  aanctuaiy  of 
your   heart,   enthroned  within  you? 


62 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


'     I  ,1  ! 

"  jj  i;  i 


;!i :' 


n 


'  I 


Yes,  this  is  the  second  great  era  of  Christian  life, 
the  fiist  day  of  the  second  year.  The  first  year  was  the 
Passover,  the  sprinkled  blood,  the  acceptance  of  Jesus 
as  the  Saviour.  That  was  the  beginning  of  Israel's 
history,  for  God  said  it  should  be  the  beginn'^^g  of 
months.  But  this  is  the  second  blessing,  a  crisis  just  as 
definite,  an  era  just  as  marked,  a  moment  just  as  eter- 
nally memorable.    That  was  Calvary.    This  is  Pentecost. 

It  has  its  time,  and  there  is  a  day,  when  Pentecost 
has  fully  come.  No  soul  that  has  ever  known  it  can 
mistake  it  or  forget  it. 

Beloved,  has  it  come  to  yoia,  or  rather  has  He  come  to 
abide  in  you  forever? 

9.  The  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire  continued  to  lead  them 
thenceforward  in  all  their  journeys.  When  they  were 
to  march,  it  moved  before  them.  When  they  were  to 
rest,  it  paused  and  spread  its  covering  wings  above 
them,  as  the  mother  bird  brooding  over  her  young,  as 
the  mighty  canopy  of  a  heavenly  tent  under  which  they 
were  gathered. 

And  so  the  Holy  Spirit  is  our  Guide,  our  Leader  and 
our  Resting-place.  There  are  times  when  He  presses  us 
forward  into  prayer,  into  service,  into  suffering,  into  new 
experiences,  new  duties,  new  claims  of  faith  and  hope 
and  love;  but  there  are  times  when  He  arrests  us  in  our 
activity,  and  rests  us  under  His  overshadowing  wing, 
and  quiets  us  in  the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High,  teach- 
ing us  some  new  lesson,  breathing  into  us  some  deeper 
strength  or  fullness,  and  then  leading  us  on  again,  at 
His  bidding  alone.  He  i^  the  true  guide  of  the  saint, 
and  the  true  leader  of  th(!  Church,  our  wonderful  Coun- 
sellor, our  unerring  Friend.  He  who  would  deny  the 
personal  guidance  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  order  that  he 
might  honor  the  Word  of  God  as  our  onh  guide,  must 
dishonor  that  other  word  of  promise,  that  His  sheep  shall 
know  His  voice,  and  that  His  hearkening  and  obedient 


THE  PILLAE  OF  CLOUD  AND  FIRE 


63 


n  life, 
7as  the 

'  Jesus 

[srael  's 

S'^g  of 
just  as 
IS  eter- 
citecost. 

jntecost 
it  can 

come  to 

id  them 
By  were 
were  to 
s  above 
^ung,  as 
eh  they 


<< 


This 


children  shall  hear  a  Voice  behind  them  saying, 
is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it." 

And  now  let  us  notice  that  the  pillar  of  cloud  which 
had  entered  the  tabernacle  did  not  linger  there  and  cease 
to  be  visible  externally;  but  it  rose  from  the  presence 
chamber  where  the  Shekinah  shone,  and  hovered  above 
'ii,  and  then  spread  over  the  sky  just  as  before,  an  ex- 
ternal as  well  as  an  internal  presence. 

The  difference  was  this.  In  its  first  stage  it  was  an 
external  sign  only ;  then  it  became  an  int^ernal  presence ; 
and  then,  finally,  it  become  both  internal  and  external, 
the  Shekinab  within  and  the  eloud  above. 

So  in  our  earlier  experiences  we  know  the  Holy  Ghost 
only  at  a  distance,  in  things  that  i:appen  in  a  providen- 
tial direction,  or  in  the  Word  alone;  but  after  awhile 
we  receive  Him  as  an  inward  Guest,  and  He  dwells  in 
our  very  midst,  and  He  speaks  to  us  in  the  innermost 
chambers  of  our  being.  The  external  working  of  His 
power  does  not  cease,  but  it  is  increased  and  seems  t<he 
more  glorious.  The  Power  that  dwells  within  us  works 
without  us,  answering  prayer,  healing  sickness,  overrul- 
ing providences,  **  Doing  exceeding  abundantly  above  all 
that  we  ask  or  think,  according  to  the  Power  that  worketh 
in  us." 

There  is  a  double  presence  of  the  Lord  for  the  con- 
vsecrated  believer.  He  is  present  in  the  heart,  and  He  is 
mightily  present  in  the  events  of  life.  He  is  the  Christ 
in  us,  the  Christ  of  all  the  days,  with  all  power  in  heaven 
and  earth. 

As  that  pillar  led  them  all  the  way,  triumphiug  over 
their  enemies,  dividing  the  waters  of  the  Jordan,  and 
never  leaving  them  until  they  entered  the  promised 
land,  so  the  Holy  Ghost  is  oui*  Wonder-worker,  our  all 
suflEieient  God  and  Guardian.  He  is  waiting  in  these  days 
to  work  as  mightily  in  the  affairs  of  men  as  in  the  days 
of  Moses,  of  Daniel,  and  of  Paul. 


I/. 
5 


;ii  '!.>i 


64 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


5.' 


■,  ! 


if.i 


10.  It  will  be  noticed,  however,  that  aft»er  they  entered 
the  Land  of  Promise,  all  the  external  manifestations  of 
God's  presence  disappeared,  and  the  vision  that  came 
to  Joshua  in  front  of  Jericho — the  Son  of  God  with  a 
drawn  sword  in  His  hand — became  henceforth  a  pledge 
of  the  same  presence,  protection,  and  power.  Hencefortli, 
Ihe  external  sign  was  withdrawn,  and  their  Leader  was 
to  be  with  them  by  faith  and  not  by  sight. 

In  like  manner,  when  we  come  into  the  fullness  of 
Christ,  we  have  fewer  signs,  we  have  less  of  the  wonder- 
ful in  form ;  but  we  have  more  of  the  working  of  faith 
and  power. 

God  showed  Himself  to  Joshua,  not  by  the  luminous 
cloud,  but  by  the  falling  of  the  walls  of  Jericho,  by  the 
defeat  of  the  Canaanites  at  Beth-horan,  by  the  capture 
of  Hebron,  by  the  conquest  of  the  Anakim,  and  by  the 
subjugation  of  all  the  thirty-one  kings  of  Canaan.  These 
were  the  wonders  of  His  power  and  the  signals  of  His 
presence. 

Thus  God,  as  He  leads  us  into  a  deeper  life  of  faith 
and  power,  will  show  to  us  His  mind,  and  manifest  His 
presence  by  the  things  He  does  every  (Uiy  through  us. 
by  the  salvation  of  souls  around  us,  by  the  breaking  of 
proud  and  sinful  hearts,  by  the  opening  of  heathen  na- 
tions to  the  Gospel,  by  the  working  of  His  providence  in 
the  events  of  our  time,  by  the  evangelization  of  the  world, 
by  these  mighty  overturnings  which  are  to  bring  the 
glorious  advent  of  His  Son. 

But  in  all  this,  the  blessing  will  be  given  to  faith,  and 
not  to  sight.  We  must  learn  to  trust  the  Holy  Ghost,  even 
when  we  cannot  perceive  the  signals  of  His  presence. 

In  conclusion;  have  we  kept  pace  with  this  advanc- 
ing cloud?  Have  we  followed  Hira  from  Egypt  down 
into  the  depths  of  the  Red  Sea  and  the  floods  of  the 
Jordan?  Have  we  let  Him  lead  us  into  the  Promised 
Land?    Has  He  come  to  be  our  holv  Guest,  our  indwell- 


THE  PILLAR  OP  CLOUD  AND  FIRE 


65 


Dtered 
ons  of 
came 
with  a 
pledge 
eforth, 
er  was 

less  of 
;'onder- 
.f  faith 


ing  Presence?  Have  we  proved  His  mighty  works  with 
us  as  well  as  in  lis,  and  has  He  led  us  out  into  victories 
of  faith  and  service  for  which  His  own  heart  is  longing, 
that  He  may  glorify  Jesus  and  hasten  His  return?  Shall 
we  not  send  up  the  prayer : 

Holy  Ghost   I   bid  Thee  welcome, 

Come  and  be  my  holy  Guest ; 
Heavenly  Dove,  within  my  bosom 

Make  Thy  home,  and  build   Thy  nest. 


minous 
by  the 

[japture 

by  the 

These 

of  His 

)f  faith 
est  His 

gh  us. 

ing  of 

en  na- 
e  in 

world, 
Ing  the 


lenc( 


< 

I 

c 


jth,  and 
\i,  even 
^nce. 
dvanc- 
down 
lof  the 
)mised 
lid  well- 


•  ! 


CHAPTER  V. 


(Hi;.! 


THE  LIVING  WATER. 

"And  did  all  drink  the  same  spiritual  drink;  for  they  drank 
ef  the  spiritual  Rock  that  followed  them:  and  that  Rock  was 
Christ. '  '—I  Cor.  10 :  4. 

"Having  therefore,  brethern,  boldness  to  enter  into  the  holiest 
by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  by  a  new  and  living  way,  which  he  hath 
consecrated  for  us,  through  the  vail,  that  is  to  say,  his  flesh; 
and  having  a  high  priest  over  the  house  of  God;  let  iis  draw 
near  with  a  true  heart,  in  full  assurance  of  faith,  having  our 
hearts  sprinkled  from  an  evil  conscience,  and  our  bodies  washed 
with    pure    water." — Hebrews    10:  19-22. 

INHERE  is  no  emblem  of  the  Holy  Spirit"  more  fre- 
quently used  in  the  Scriptures  than  water.   Natural- 
ly suggestive  of  cleansing,  refreshing,  and  fullness, 
it  expresses  most  perfectly  the  most  important  offices  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

It  is  not  possible  for  us  to  refer  to  all  the  passages 
and  incidents  which  are  based  upon  this  figure ;  but  we 
shall  call  attention  to  four  remarkable  passages  which 
unfold  in  logical  and  chronological  order  the  work  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  in  our  redemption  and  complete  salva- 
tion. 


I 


I"    I 

M'l: 

J     I!. 


The  first  of  these  passages,  quoted  above,  refers  to  the 
first  three  of  these  unfoldings  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  They 
are  all  connected  with  incidents  in  the  journey  of  the 
Israelites  through  the  wilderness. 

The  first  is  the  smiting  of  the  rock  in  Horeb,  of  which 
we  read  in  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  Exodus.  They  had 
come  to  the  fountain  at  Meribnh,  but  t'onnrl  it  dry;  and, 
as  usual,  instead  of  trusting  and  praying,  tliey  began  to 
murmur  and  complain.  Then  God  commanded  Moses  to 
lead  them  to  the  rock  in  Horeb,  and  to  ^miio  it  with  the 

66 


If' 


THE  LJVTNO   WATER 


67 


y  drank 
ock   wa8 

e  holiest 
he  hath 
is  flpsh; 
us  draw 
^'ing  our 
j  washed 


ore  fre- 
satural- 
'uUness, 
ffices  of 

•assages 
but  we 

which 
ork  of 

salva- 


to  the 

They 

I  of  the 

which 
ley  had 
and, 
li^an  to 

)ses  to 
Ith  the 


rod  wherewith  he  had  divided  tlie  Red  Sea  and  per- 
formed the  miracles  of  judgment  in  Egypt.  The  cleft 
rock  gave  forth  a  flood  of  water,  and  the  people  drank 
abundantly,  and  their  cattle. 

The  smiting  of  the  rock  in  Horeb  was,  of  course,  a 
type  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ*  and  the  stroke  of  the 
Father's  judgment  on  Calvary  by  which  our  guilt  was 
expiated  and  the  fountain  of  mercy  was  opened  for  sin- 
ful men.  But  the  water  which  flowed  from  that  rock  was 
also  a  type  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  purchased  for  us  as  the 
most  precious  gift  of  His  redemption. 

Water  is  always  a  type  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Jesus, 
Himself,  has  explained  the  symbol  in  John  7 :  88-39, 
where,  after  speaking  of  the  living  water  which  was  to 
flow  from  the  believer,  he  added,  ' '  This  He  spake  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  which  they  that  believe  on  Him  should  re- 


» J 


ceive 

The  water  from  the  rock  in  Horeb  was  the  type  of  the 
outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  at  Pentecost,  in  conse- 
quence of  Christ's  accomplished  redemption.  This  is  its 
dispensational  meaning.  So  far  as  the  successive  eras  of 
our  Christian  life  are  concerned,  it  prefigures  our  first 
experiences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  after  our  conversion. 

There  is  a  very  real  sense  in  which  the  Spirit  of  God 
is  given  to  the  believer  as  soon  as  he  accepts  t«he  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  as  his  Saviour.  There  is  a  deeper  fullness 
which  follows  at  a  later  stage.  But  let  not  that  discredit 
nor  displace  the  other  real  experience  in  which  He  comes 
to  the  believer,  in  so  far  as  the  heart  is  open  to  receive 
Him.  This  was  the  first  promise  to  the  infant  church 
and  the  youngest  believers  of  Pentecost,  "Repent,  and 
be  baptized  every  one  of  you  for  the  remission  of  sins, 
and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  for 
the  promise  is  unto  you,  and  to  your  children,  and  to 
all  that  are  afar  off,  as  many  as  the  Lord,  our  God.  shall 
call."  This  is  the  only  security  for  the  establishing  and 
standing  of  any  believers ;  and  no  convert  should  be  left 


t 


68 


POWKU    FROM   ON    TITO  IT 


until  \ui  has  definitely  received  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  bern 
sealed  unto  the  day  of  redemption  by  the  indwelling 
power  and  the  presence  of  God. 


f  I 


n. 

In  the  twentieth  chapter  of  Numbers  we  have  a  second 
incident  very  similar  to  the  first  and  yet  essentially  dif- 
ferent. Again  the  people  come  to  the  place  of  extremity. 
They  are  without  water  and  ready  to  perish  from  thirst. 
Once  again,  God  interposes  for  their  deliverance.  Once 
again,  He  leads  them  to  the  rock  and  the  waters  ilow  in 
abundance  for  the  supply  of  all  their  need,  ''and  the 
people  drink,  and  their  cattle,"  and  they  are  refreshed 
and  satisfied.  All  this  seems  exactly  like  the  other  mir- 
acle, but  when  we  look  a  little  closer  we  find  important 
differences. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  forty  years  later  in  their  history. 
The  first  miracle  was  at  the  beginning  of  their  wilderness 
life.  This  is  near  its  close,  and  is  intended,  therefore, 
to  mark  some  advanced  stage  in  their  experience. 

It  is  at  a  different  place — Kadesh.  The  word  "Ka- 
desh"  means  holiness,  and  we  know  that  Kadesh  was  the 
gate  to  the  Promised  Land.  This,  therefore,  would  sug- 
gest that  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  here  set  forth 
has  reference  to  the  more  advanced  stages  of  our  Chris- 
tian life.  There  is  an  era  in  every  complete  Christian 
life ;  there  is  a  Kadesh  where  God  brings  us  into  His  holi- 
ness and  gives  to  us  the  Spirit  to  dwell  within  us,  and 
causes  us  to  walk  in  His  statutes  and  keep  His  judg- 
ments and  do  them ;  there  is  a  promised  land  whose  gate- 
way lies  at  Kadesh,  into  which  we  enter  by  receiving  the 
Holy  Ghost  in  His  fullness.  There  is  a  place  where  we 
either  pass  out  of  the  wilderness  into  the  ''rest  that  re- 
maineth  for  the  people  of  God,"  or  where  we  pass  on 
to  the  ceaseless  round  of  ^ailure  and  disappointment  in 
which  so  many  ar«  living. 


THK  LI  V  J  NO  WATKK 


69 


id  been 
welling 


.  Roeond 
illy  dif- 
tremity. 
Li  thirst. 
I.  Once 
,  flow  in 
and  the 
efreshed 
her  mir- 
iportant 

■  history. 
ild(irness 
lerefore, 

•d  **Ka- 

was  the 
uld  sug- 
;et  forth 

Chris- 
hristian 

is  holi- 
us,  and 
is  judg- 
•se  gate- 

ing  the 
Ihere  we 
Ithat  re- 
;s  on 
lent  in 


There  is  an  infinite  difference  between  t«his  reception 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  His  coming  to  us  at  our  conver- 
sion. There  He  comes  to  witness  to  our  acceptance  and 
forgiveness;  here  He  comes  to  accept  our  perfect  offer- 
ing of  ourselves  to  Him,  and  to  possess  us  fully  for  Him- 
self, bringing  us  into  personal  union  witli  Jesus,  and 
keeping  us  hencefortli  in  obedience  and  victory. 

Again,  it  will  be  noticed  t»hat  the  manner  of  the  mir- 
acle was  entirely  different.  In  the  first  instance,  the 
rock  was  to  be  struck  by  the  rod  of  the  law-giver,  but 
in  this  case  it  was  not  to  be  struck.  Moses  was  simply 
to  speak  to  it,  and  it«  would  give  forth  its  waters  at  tlie 
quiet  voice  of  faith  and  prayer.  Moses  disobeyed  this 
command  and  vehemently  struck  the  rock  repeatedly. 
"Hear  now,  ye  rebels,  must  we  fetch  water  out  of  the 
rock?"  God,  displeased  with  his  haste  and  unbelief, 
severely  punished  him  by  excluding  him  from  the  Prom- 
ised Land;  yet  He  honored  His  own  promise  by  giving 
the  water  to  the  people,  notwithstai  ''ng  the  failure  of 
Moses. 

All  this  action  is  exceedingly  significant.  The  rock 
was  not  to  be  struck  again,  because  it  was  already  smitten 
and  opened,  and  the  waters  were  already  flowing  freely. 
All  that  was  needed  was  to  receive  by  faith  what  had  al- 
ready been  secured  by  the  great  sacrifice.  And  so  for 
His,  the  Holy  Ghost*  is  given,  the  sacrifice  is  finished,  the 
price  is  paid,  the  conditions  are  fulfilled,  the  heavens  are 
opened,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  has  come. 

Let  us  not  crucify  Christ  afresh,  or  ignore  the  value 
of  His  death  by  trying  to  bring  down  the  Spirit  again 
from  heaven.  All  we  have  to  do  is  to  simply  receive 
Him  and  make  room  for  His  entrance.  Our  part  is  not 
to  strike  but  to  speak  to  the  Rock,  and,  as  we  come  in 
the  simplicity  of  trust,  quietly,  expectantly  claim  His  en- 
tering in ;  more  willingly  than  a  father  would  give  good 
gifts  to  his  children,  will  the  Father  on  high  bestow  the 
Holy  Spirit  on  them  that  ask  Him.    Not  like  the  priests 


If. 

I 

5 


70 


POWER    FROM   ON    HIGH 


-I 


of  Baal,  with  noisy  clamor  and  imbelicnitifx  r<^potitions  are 
we  to  ask  for  Him,  but  in  unliesitating  eoMU<lcncc  and 
full  asyurancn  of  faith  are  we  to  com*^  and  receive  what 
He  is  waiting  to  bestow. 

The  bells  within  the  innermost  shrine  of  God  s  holy 
dwelling-place  are  very  delicately  hung,  and  a  rude  touch 
will  jar  the  exquisite  wires  and  break  the  diilicate  mech- 
anism. All  you  need  is  the  lightest  touch,  in  the  days 
of  your  childhood,  you  got  access  to  a  building  by  pound- 
ing on  the  door  with  a  rud(!  knocker ;  but  now  you  come 
and  softly  touch  a  little  button,  and  the  electric  current 
signals  to  the  highest  storey  your  approach.  God's  bells 
all  move  in  answer  to  electric  wires,  and  your  rude, 
clumsy  blows  only  hinder  your  petition. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  very  sensitive,  as  love  always  is. 
You  can  conquer  a  wild  beast  by  blows  and  chains,  but 
you  cannot  conquer  *  woman's  heart  that,  way,  or  win 
the  love  of  a  sensitive  nature.  That  must  be  wooed  by 
the  delicate  touches  of  trust  and  affection.  So  the 
Holy  Ghost  has  to  itaken  by  a  faith  as  delicate  and 
sensitive  as  the  gentle  heart  with  whom  it  is  coming  in 
touch.  One  thought  of  unbelief,  one  expression  of  im- 
patient distrust  or  fear,  will  instantly  check  the  perfect 
freedom  of  His  operations  as  much  as  a  breath  of  frost 
would  wither  the  petals  of  the  most  sensitive  rose  or  lily. 

Speak  t«o  the  Rock,  do  not  strike  it.  Believe  in  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  treat  Him  with  the  tenderest  con- 
fidence and  the  most  unwavering  trust,  and  He  will  meet 
you  wit'h  instant  response  and  equal  confidence. 

Beloved,  have  you  come  to  the  rock  in  Kadesh?  Have 
you  opened  all  your  being  to  the  fullness  of  the  Spirit? 
And  then,  with  the  confidence  of  the  child  to  the  mother, 
the  bride  to  the  husband,  the  flower  to  the  sunshine,  have 
you  received  by  faith  ?  And  are  you  drinking  of  the  full- 
ness and  dwelling  in  the  innermost  centre  of  His  blessed 
aife? 


.''I  1'! 


THE  LIVING  WATER 


71 


ns  are 
e  and 
1  what 

s  holy 
!  touch 
iiiech- 
e  days 
pouud- 
Li  come 
iurrent 
's  bells 
r  rude, 

vays  is. 
ins,  but 
or  win 
ooed  by 
So  the 
ate  and 
ming  in 
of  im- 
perfect 
of  frost 
or  lily, 
in  the 
St   con- 
ill  meet 

'    Have 

Spirit? 
mother, 
Qe,  have 
he  full- 
blessed 


m. 

We  come  to  the  third  stage  in  the  following  chapter, 
Numbers  21.  We  have  a  very  striking  little  picture: 
"And  from  thence  they  went  to  Beer:  that*  is  the  well 
whereof  tlie  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  Gather  the  people 
together,  and  I  will  give  them  water. 

**Then  Israel  sang  this  song,  Spring  up,  0  well;  sing 
ye  unto  it; 

*  *  The  princes  digged  the  well,  the  nobles  of  the  people 
digged  it,  by  the  direction  of  the  lawgiver,  with  their 
staves.  And  from  the  wilderness  they  went  to  Mat- 
tanah." 

At  first  sight  the  meaning  is  a  little  obscure,  but  as 
we  look  more  closely,  we  see  a  very  striking  picture.  The 
people  have  passed  on  from  Kadesh,  and  again  the  parch- 
ed desert  is  all  around  them.  There  are  no  oases,  rills, 
or  flowing  streams  in  sight,  and  they  are  famishing  with 
thirst.  Then  comes  the  divine  command:  "Gather  the 
people  that  I  may  give  them  water."  "Where  shall 
they  be  gathered?  Gathered  to  the  well  of  Beer.  Oh! 
there  is  no  well  in  sight."  Never  mind,  gather  them  all 
the  same.  Right  there  in  the  desert  sand,  bring  them 
together. ' ' 

Now  the  command  is  given  to  the  nobles  to  bring  out 
their  pilgrim  staves  and  to  dig  the  well  in  the  desert 
sand;  and  while  they  dig,  the  people  are  gathered 
around  and  are  commanded  to  sing.  And  so  they 
dig  and  sing,  and  sing  and  dig,  and  their  song  is 
given  us  in  this  simple  refrain:  "Spring  up,  0  well; 
sing  ye  unto  it."  As  they  sang,  the  waters  burst 
forth  from  the  depths,  and  overflowed  and  ran  like  a 
river  through  the  camp ;  and  the  people  drank  and  sang 
and  wondered. 

This  is  the  explanation  of  that  strange  expression  in 
the  text,  "They  drank  of  that  rock  that  followed  them." 
This  is  the  way  it  followed  them.    The  rock  did  not  travei 


i 


72 


POWER    FROAI    0\    TrOM 


{  I 


1 '     I ' 


through  the  desert  beliind  the  camp,  aor  was  it  carried 
about  with  them  in  their  caravan,  like  some  fetish  or  car 
of  Juggernaut;  but  the  water  of  the  rock  followed 
them.  It  ran  under  the  desert  sands,  a  subterranean 
stream.  They  could  not  see  it  on  the  surface,  but  it 
was  there  all  the  same.  All  they  needed  to  do  was  to 
gather  above  it,  and  with  their  staves  dig  the  well  and 
sing  the  song  of  faith  and  prayer,  and  lo!  the  waters 
flowed  abundantly. 

What  a  beautiful  picture  of  ihe  abiding  life  in  the 
Spirit,  and  of  the  continuous  sources  of  our  spiritual 
life!  When  we  receive  the  fullness  of  the  Spirit,  the 
same  blessed  promise  of  life  and  salvatdon  continues  to 
follow  us  through  all  our  wilderness  journey.  Not  al- 
ways will  we  see  llie  water,  or  be  able  to  trace  the  channel 
of  the  river ;  but  it  is  there  beneath  our  feet,  even  under 
th<i  fiery  sun  and  burning  sands  of  the  hottest  desert, 
and  all  w^e  need  iu  do  is  to  dig  the  well  of  need  with 
the  staff  of  promise,  then  sing  the  song  of  trust,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  will  be  found  springing  up,  as  ever,  in  His 
infinite  supply  for  all  our  need. 

Every  promise  in  the  Bible  has  some  fitness  to  some 
need  in  our  life.  As  wo  use  the  promise  faithfully  and 
meet  its  simple  conditions,  we  shall  fi.nd  that  the  waters 
will  spring  and  our  wants  will  be  supplied  from  tHe 
Fountain  of  Life. 

To  dig  is  not  always  very  pleasant  work.  There  is  a 
good  deal  of  excavation,  and  room  has  to  be  made  by 
s<-ooping  out  the  sand ;  and  so  the  promises  of  God  have 
their  sharp  edges  as  well  as  their  gracious  fullness.  They 
empty  us  as  well  as  fill  us ;  but  as  we  meet  the  conditions, 
we  shall  always  find  them  faithful  and  full,  "exceeding 
abundantly  above  all  that  we  ask  or  think." 

This  striking  figure  of  the  desert  well  teaches  us  the 
secret  of  abiding  in  the  Spirit.  Our  deeper  life  in  Christ 
is  not  always  apparent  even  U:>  ourselves,  for  it  is  hid 
with  Christ  iu  God;   but  the  fountain  is  always  there, 


THE  LIVING  WATER 


73 


carried 
li  or  car 
[oUowed 
rranean 
,  but  it 
)  was  to 
,vell  and 
i  waters 

e  in  the 
spiritual 
)irit,  the 
tinues  to 
Not  al- 
3  channel 
en  under 
?t  desert, 
leed  with 
,,  and  the 
r,  in  His 

to  some 
Eully  and 

e  waters 
[from  tlie 

'here  is  a 
made  bv 
iGod  have 
;ss.  They 
editions, 
exceeding 

les  us  the 
I  in  Christ 
it  is  hid 
lys  there, 


and  we  may  ever  drink  from  its  hidden  depths  and  find 
the  supply  of  every  need  in  Him. 

IV. 

There  is  another  figure  of  the  Holy  Spirit  suggested 
by  the  pasvsage  quoted  from  the  Hebrews.  There  we  see 
the  worshipper  entering  int'O  the  Holy  of  Holies  with 
his  body  washed  with  pure  water.  This  suggests  the 
ancient  laver  which  stood  at  the  entrance  of  the  tab(n'- 
nacle,  and  was  intended  for  the  use  of  the  priests  who 
went  within  to  wash  their  faces  and  their  hands  and 
cleanse  t<heir  robes  from  every  spot  and  stain  whenever 
they  entered  the  holy  precincts.  It  was  made  out  of  the 
looking-glasses  of  the  women  of  Israel,  and  it  is  probfiblo 
that  externally  it  was  a  great  polished  mirror  in  Avhich 
they  could  see  themselves  and  their  defilements.  Then 
in  the  water  they  could  cleanse  away  the  stains. 

This  laver  was  the  type  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  our 
fountain  of  cleansing  and  our  way  of  approach  to  the 
holy  place  of  Christ's  immediate  presence.  Only  as  we 
are  cleansed  in  that  laver  can  we  enter  in  as  the  priests 
of  God  and  feed  upon  the  Living  Bread,  dwelling  in  the 
light  of  the  golden  lamps,  and  breathing  the  sweet  odor 
of  the  incense  that  fills  the  presence  chamber  Avith  the 
atmosphere  of  heaven.  At  once  it  reveals  and  removes 
the  defilemcLts  of  our  hearts  and  lives.  There  is  a  sense 
in  which,  once  for  all,  the  Holy  Spirit  cleanses  us.  This 
v.as  what  our  Master  meant  when  He  said,  "He  that 
is  washed  needet'h  not  save  to  wash  his  feet,  but  is  clean 
every  whit." 

But  there  is  a  constant  liability  to  contract  at  least 
the  stains  of  earth,  if  not  the  taint  of  sin.  The  very 
atmosphere  we  breathe  is  so  laden  with  t-he  breath  of 
evil  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  escape  its  touch  and 
taint;  but  the  blessed  Holy  Spirit  stands  ministering 
within  the  sacred  teinple  of  the  heart,  and  is  ready  everv 


V. 


ii 


74 


POWER   FROM   ON   HIGH 


1/  -    rv 


j.'i   I 

i 


1    '■:  I 


i  : 


moment  to  wash  away  the  faintest  touch  of  earth  or  evil, 
and  to  keep  us  spotless,  undefiled,  and  perfectly  accepted 
in  His  sight. 

* '  If  we  walk  in  the  light  as  he  is  in  the  light,  we  have 
fellowship  one  with  t'he  other,  and  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ,  his  Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  The  laver 
speaks  to  us  of  the  permanent  and  unceasing  operations 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  rock  in  Horeb  and  Kadesh,  and 
even  the  w^ell  in  the  wilderness,  were  but  the  transient 
types  of  these  spiritual  verities.  But  the  laver  was  God 's 
abiding  symbol,  and  continued  in  the  tabernacle  through 
all  their  future  national  life.  It  speaks  to  us  of  that  con- 
tinual provision  which  He  has  made  for  our  abiding  life. 
Let  us,  therefore,  receive  Him  and  abide  in  Him ;  let  us 
wait  in  the  Holy  Place ;  let  us  not  only  come  for  cleans- 
ing, but  let  us  keep  coming;  and  let  us  so  dwell  under 
the  continual  influences  and  in  the  very  atmosphere  of 
His  love  that  we  shall  never  be  out  of  communion,  and 
that  we  shall  be  kept  cleansed  from  all  sin. 

We  read,  in  the  description  of  the  tabernacle,  not  only 
of  the  la\  oi*  but  also  of  its  foot.  What  was  the  intention 
of  the  foot  of  the  laver?  Perhaps  it  was  a  little  outlet 
through  which  the  waters  could  more  easily  flow  within 
the  reach  of  one  who  sought  cleansing.  The  laver  itself 
was  too  high  to  be  easily  reached,  at  least  at  its  brim; 
but  through  this  little  pipe,  which  probably  could  be 
opened  by  a  simple  mechanism,  the  waters  flowed  to  the 
ground  and  were  always  within  the  reach  of  even  the 
littlest  child,  had  it  needed  to  come. 

How  truly  this  illustrates  the  blessed  nearness  of  the 
Holy  Ghost!  Not  in  the  highest  heaven  do  we  need  to 
seek  Him,  not  afar  off  do  we  have  to  cry  to  Him  ;  but  He 
is  our  Paraclete,  One  by  our  side,  One  very  near  and 
ever  near  to  help  in  time  of  need.  He  is  to  us  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Holy  God,  already  given  and  ever  present 
in  the  heart  of  His  Church.  He  is  as  ready  to  enter  the 
yielded  and  trusting  heart  as  light  is  to  flow  into  the 


THE  LIVING  WATE-R 


75 


or  evil, 
iccepted 

we  have 
>f  Jesus 
le  laver 
erations 
3sh,  and 
ransient 
Ks  God 's 
throu^li 
hat  con- 
ing life. 
;  let  us 
:♦  eleans- 
11  under 
ahere  of 
ion,  and 

not  only 
ntention 
le  outlet 
V  within 
'er  itself 
ts  brim; 
2ould  be 
id  to  the 
3ven  the 


open  window  and  sunshine  to  meet  the  petals  of  the 
opening  flower. 

Let   us  send  up   to   Him   the  simple,   whole-hearted 
prayer, 

Blessed   Holy   Spirit 

Welcome  to  my  breast; 
In  my  heart  forever 
Be  my  Holy  GuesU 


V. 

I 

I 


5s  of  the 
need  to 
but  He 
lear  and 
the  pres- 
'  present 
inter  the 
into  the 


1: 


:| 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  ANOINTING  OIL. 


"Now  He  which  stablisheth  us  with  you  iu  Christ,  and  hath 
anointed  us,  is  God." — 2  Cor.  1:  21. 

THE  usG  of  oil  is  more  common  in  eastern  lands 
than  it  is  with  us.  The  olive  tree  is  one  of  the  typ- 
ical trees  of  Palestine.  It  is  a  wonderful  tree.  Its 
leaf  is  lustrous  and  seems  always  as  if  it  had  been  bathed 
in  the  oil  of  its  own  olive  tree,  and  the  tree  itself  seems 
almost  indestructible.  It  is  usually  crooked,  gnarled, 
twisted,  and  almost  torn  to  pieces.  Nearly  every  tree  is 
hollow,  and  oft»en  you  see  the  larger  part  of  the 
trunk  apparently  t'l-n  away,  with  perhaps  a  single  root 
adhering  to  the  soil ;  but  above  it  rises  a  luxuriant  mass 
of  boughs  and  foliage  seeming  to  be  imbued  with  imper- 
ishable freshness.  Some  of  the  olives  of  Gethsemane  must 
be  at  least  a  thousand  years  old;  indeed  the  olive  tree 
seems  as  if  it  could  scarcely  die. 

It  is  a  good  type  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  soul 
anointed  with  His  life  and  power.  He  may  be  exposed 
to  all  the  trials  of  time;  but,  filled  with  the  elixir  of  im- 
perishable life,  his  leaf  is  always  green,  and  he  shall  not 
cease  from  yielding  fruit  even  in  ishe  parched  land  and 
the  most  inhospitable  climate. 

The  ordinance  of  anointing  with  oil  was  one  of  th<^ 
most  common  and  signifieant  ceremonials  of  the  Old 
Testament.  The  leper  was  anointed,  the  tabernacle  was 
anointed,  the  priests  were  anointed.  t«he  prophets  were 
anointed,  the  kings  were  anointed,  the  guest  was  anoint 
edj  the  sick  were  anointed,  t  was  the  special  symbol  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  the  dedication  of  tin-  person  anointed 
to  His  service  and  possession. 

76 


THE    ANOINTING    OIL 


77 


id  hath 


lands 
le  typ- 
e.    Its 
bathed 
'  seems 
oarled, 
tri'e  is 
of    the 
;lc  root 
it  mass 
imper- 
le  must 
ve  tree 

ne  sold 

xposed 

of  iiii- 

all  not 

lid  and 

of  th<' 
ho  Old 
(de  was 
ts  were 

anoint  - 
mbol  of 
nointed 


THE   PREPARATION    OF    THE   ANOINTING    OIL. 

We  have  a  full  acount  of  this  in  Exodus  30:23-33. 
"Take  thou  unto  thee  principal  spices,  of  pure  myrrh 
five  hundred  shekels,  and  of  sweet  cinnamon  half  so 
mucli,  even  two  hundred  and  fifty  shekels,  and  of  sweet 
ealumus  two  hundred  and  fifty  shekels,  and  of  cassia  five 
hundred  shekels,  after  the  shekel  of  the  sanctuary,  and 
of  olive  oil  a  hin :  and  thou  shalt  make  it  an  oil  of  holy 
ointment,  an  ointment  compound  after  the  art  of  the 
apothecary :  it  shall  be  an  holy  anointing  oil.  And  thou 
shalt  anoint  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation  therewith, 
a!id  the  ark  of  the  testimony,  and  the  table  and  all  his 
vessels,  and  the  candlestick  and  his  vessels,  and  the  altar 
of  incense,  and  the  altar  of  burnt  offering  with  all  his 
vessels,  and  the  laver  and  his  foot.  And  thou  shalt  sancti- 
fy them,  that  they  may  be  most  holy:  whatsoever  toucheth 
them  shall  be  holy.  And  thou  shalt  anoint  Aaron  and 
his  sons,  and  consecrat'C  them,  that  they  may  minister 
unto  rae  in  the  priest's  office." 

The  method  was  particularly  prescribed  in  every  de- 
tail, and  no  counterfeit  was  allowed  under  the  most 
severe  penalties. 

It  will  be  noticed: 

1.  That  this  oil  was  specially  prepared.  It»  was  not 
ordinary  olive  oil;  but  other  ingredients  were  added, 
chiefly  perfumes,  making  it  exquisitely  fragrant,  so  that 
it  not  only  was  visible  to  tne  eye,  but  expressed  to  the 
sense  of  smell  the  sweetest  suggestions  of  the  divine  pres- 
ence, of  which  fragrance  was  always  a  peculiar  sign. 

The  Holy  Ghost  has  been  prepared  in  like  manner 
for  His  special  work  in  us,  just  as  the  body  of  Jesus 
was  prepared  and  His  incarnation  arranged  for,  so  that 
He  might  come  to  ua,  not  as  the  pure  Deity  alone,  but 
as  Ood  manifest  in  the  flesh.  So  the  Holy  Ghost  has 
been  prepared  to  dwell  within  us  and  to  bring  us  into  the 


V. 

I 


78 


POWER  FROM   ON   HIGH 


11^ 


[  :      '  i 


If  r 


presence  of  God  in  the  way  best  adapted  to  our  weak 
human   nature. 

The  Holy  Ghost  who  dwells  in  the  believer  is  not 
the  Deity  who  comes  directly  from  the  throne  in  the 
majesty  of  His  Godhead.  He  is  the  Spirit  that  dwelt  in 
the  human  Christ  for  three  and  a  half  years,  the  Spirit 
who  wept  in  His  tears,  suffered  in  his  agonies,  spake 
in  His  words  of  wisdom  and  love,  took  the  little  children 
in  His  arms,  healed  the  sick  and  raised  the  dead,  allowed 
John  to  lean  upon  His  bosom,  and  said  to  the  sorrow- 
ing disciples,  **Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled."  This 
is  the  Spirit,  therefore,  that  comes  to  us,  softened  and 
humanized  by  His  union  with  the  blessed  Jesus,  and 
calling  Himself  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  so  that  in  receiv- 
ing Him  we  receive  the  heart  of  Jesus  and  the  person 
of  Jesus  into  our  inmost  being. 

How  gracious  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  come  to  us  thus 
fitted  to  meet  pur  frailty  and  our  need  and  to  satisfy 
the  wants  of  all  our  being! 

2.  As  the  oil  was  fragrant  and  sweet,  so  the  Holy 
Ghost  brings  to  us  the  very  sweetness  of  heaven.  iVlI 
these  spices  have,  perhaps,  some  special  significance. 
The  myrrh  used,  as  w(^  know,  for  embalming  the  dead, 
suggests  to  us  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  the 
cinnamon  was  sweet  to  the  taste,  and  fitly  expresses 
the  delightful  and  joyful  influences  of  the  Spirit;  and 
the  cassia,  a  healing  and  wholesome  ingredient,  reminds 
us  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  our  Health  Bringer  and  our 
Sanctifier. 

3.  The  oil  was  not  to  be  counterfeited  or  imitated. 
Neither  can  the  Holy  Ghost  be  imitated.  Satan  has 
always  tried  to  stimulate  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  to  get 
us  to  worship  him  instead  of  Jehovah.  Even  in  the 
days  of  Moses  men  sometimes  brought  strange  fixe; 
but  they  were  met  with  fiery  judgment  from  the  jealous 
God,  who  will  not  suffer  His  holy  things  to  be  profaned 
or  confounded  with  evil.     Men  are  still  constantly  in 


THE   ANOINTING   OIL 


79 


danger  of  accepting  the  false  for  the  true.  Spiritualism, 
Christian  Science,  and  Theosophy  come  with  their  un- 
holy imitations,  but  no  deep  discernment*  is  needed  to 
detect  tlieir  disguises.  He  would  be  a  bold  man  who 
willingly  would  be  mixed  up  with  these  sorceries  and 
Satanic  delusions  which  leave  a  blister  and  a  scar  wher- 
ever  they   touch   the   soul.  , 

There  are  other  counterfeits  less  glaring  and  daring. 
Intellectual  brilliancy,  eloquence,  and  pathos  often  pre- 
sume to  imitate  the  operations  of  the  Spirit  and  pro- 
duce the  impression  w^hich  only  He  can  bring.  Music 
attempts  to  thrill  our  aesthetic  nature  wdth  the  emotions 
and  feelings  which  many  mistake  for  real  devotion. 
Architecture  and  art  are  called  into  play  to  impress  the 
imagination  with  the  scenic  effects  of  senuous  worship. 
But  none  of  those  do  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Peo- 
ple can  weep  under  entrancing  music  and  heart-stirring 
eloquence,  and  yet  as  much  as  before  go  out  and  live 
lives  of  cruel  selfishness  and  gross  unrighteousness. 
People  can  bow  with  a  kind  of  awe  under  the  imposing 
arch  and  before  the  vivid  painting,  or  the  impressive 
pageant  of  ceremonial  worship,  and  yet>  have  no  fear 
of  God  before  their  eyes.  There  is  no  substitute  for 
the  Holy  Ghost.  He  alone  can  produce  conviction, 
divine  impression,  time  devotion,  unselfish  life,  and  rev- 
erent worship. 

4.  The  oil  must  not  be  poured  on  man's  flesh.  It  was 
to  be  used  exclusively  for  the  consecrated  and  separated 
ones.  No  stranger  was  to  receive  this  anointing.  It 
was  the  badge  of  separation  to  God.  Thus  the  Holy 
Ghost  comes  upon  the  separated,  dedicated,  consecrated 
heart.  You  cannot  receive  it  upon  a  carnal  and  fleshly 
soul.  God  will  not  dwell  in  a  sinful  spirit.  You  must 
separate  yourself  from  evil,  dedicate  yourself  to  Him, 
and  be  crucified  wit-h  Christ  to  self  and  sin  before  He 
will  make  your  heart,  His  abiding  place.  His  promise 
is:  "I  will  take  away  the  stony  heart  out  of  your  flesh, 


f 
i 

5 


80 


POWER  FKOM  ON   HIGH 


$  i 


i  ill, 


i 


and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put  within  you. ' '  Then  he  adds, 
' '  I  will  put  my  Spirit  within  you  and  cause  you  to  walk 
in  my  statutes,  and  ye  shall  keep  my  judgments  and 
do  them." 

You  cannot  get  power  from  God  until  you  receive 
holiness.  Simon  Magus  wanted  this  power  from  the 
Apostle  Peter ;  but  his  wicked  heart  received  only  God 's 
terrific  rebuke  and  the  awful  words,  "Thou  art  in  the 
gall  of  bitterness  and  the  bond  of  iniciuity."  Men  are 
still  trying  to  get  power  without  holiness,  but  it  can 
only  bring  disappointment  and  danger.  In  their  search 
for  power  they  will  probably  end  where  Simon  Magus 
did,  with  the  unholy  power  of  the  wicked  one  and  the 
curse  of  a  holy  God. 

The  Spirit's  first  work  is  to  cleanse  us,  to  separate 
ua,  to  sanctify  us,  to  dedicat«e  us  wholly  to  God.  Then 
as  the  property  of  God,  He  takes  passession  of  us  for 
God  and  uses  us  for  His  service  and  glory  alone. 

n. 

PARTICULAR    CASES     IN    VTKICH     THE    ANOINTING    OIL    WAS 

USED. 

1.  The  anrnting  of  the  leper  is  described  in  Leviti- 
cus 14.  This  represents  the  Holy  Spirit's  cleansing 
and  consecrating  work  upon  the  sinner.  This  poor  leper 
outside  the  camp  represents  our  worst  estate,  and  it  is 
for  such  sinners  t'hat  the  Holy  Ghost  has  come  to  bring 
all  the  fullness  of  Jesus. 

First,  the  poor  leper  must  be  met  and  welcomed,  and 
then  brought  by  the  priest  inside  the  camp  and  under 
the  cleansing  water  and  sprinkled  blood;  then  the  an- 
ointing oil  is  applied,  and  he  is  touched  over  the  blood- 
mark  that  has  already  been  given,  upon  his  right  ear, 
his  right  thumb,  and  his  right  toe.  This  means  the 
consecrating  and  the  filling  of  all  his  powers  of  appre- 
hension and  reception   represented  by  the  ear,  all  his 


THE    ANOINTING   OIL 


81 


adds, 

walk 

i  and 

Bceive 
a  the 
God's 
n  the 
m  are 
it  can 
search 
Magus 
id  the 

parate 

Then 

us  for 


L    WAS 

eviti- 
ansing 
r  leper 
d  it  is 

bring 

;d,  and 
under 

;he  an- 
blood- 

ht  ear, 

ns  the 
appre- 
all  his 


powers  of  appropriating  faith  and  holy  service  repre- 
sented by  the  hand,  and  all  his  stoppings  and  ways 
represented  y  his  feet.  All  these  are  dedicated  to  God 
and  taken  possession  of  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  oil  does  not  come  first,  but<  the  blood.  Then  the 
oil  is  placed  upon  the  blood.  The  Holy  Ghost  comes 
only  to  those  who  have  received  Jesus.  There  is  no 
spiritual  power  apart  from  the  cross  and  the  Saviour. 
Those  higlicr  revelations  and  deeper  teachings  which 
discard  the  blood  of  Calvary  come  from  beneath.  Like 
the  ancient  St.  Francis,  we  can  always  know  the  true 
Christ  by  the  print'  of  the  nails  and  the  spear.  How- 
ever, we  need  the  oil  as  much  as  the  blood.  Our  ears, 
our  hands,  and  our  feet  must  be  divinely  quickened, 
possessed,  and  filled  before  we  can  rightly  hear  and 
understand  for  God,  rightly  appropriate  the  things  we 
know,  rightly  work  for  Him,  and  walk  in  His  holy 
ways. 

But  this  is  not  all.  This  is  but  a  drop  of  oil. 
We  no\v  read  that  the  remnant  of  the  oil  was  poured 
upon  the  head  of  him  who  was  to  be  cleansed.  This 
is  a  much  larger  filling.  The  \ev}'  word  "pour"  means 
a  fullness  of  blessing,  and  the  remnant  of  oil  means 
all  the  oil  that  was  left,  all  that  was  in  the  priest's  hand. 
We  know  that  the  priest  is  no  one  else  than  the  Son 
of  God,  the  Mighty  One,  who  holds  the  ocean  in  the 
hollow  of  His  hand,  and,  therefore,  the  rest  of  the  oil 
that  the  palm  of  His  hand  can  hold  is  an  ocean  of  in- 
finite fullness.  Tt  means  that  all  the  oil,  t»hat  Jesus 
Himself  had,  is  poured  upon  our  head.  The  same  anoint- 
ing came  upon  Him  that  He  also  shares  with  us.  All 
this  for  a  poor  leper ! 

Beloved,  have  you  received  the  remnant  of  the  oil? 

2.  The  anointing  of  the  priest  is  unfolded  in  Exodus 
29:7-21,  and  Leviticus  8:12,  80.  Here  we  find  a  dif- 
ferent  application  of  the  oil.  Tt  is  applied  to  the  priest 
with  the   object  of  fitting  him   for  service  in  waiting 


C' 


82 


POWER    FROM  ON    HIGH 


t . 


fi: 


upon  the  Lord  and  ministering  in  His  presence.  We 
also  must  receive  the  holy  anointing,  not  only  for  cleansr 
ing  but  for  service.  We  are  not  fit  to  represent  God 
in  the  world  or  to  do  any  spiritual  work  for  Him  until 
we  receive  the  Holy  Ghost. 

You  will  notice  a  double  operation  here  in  connection 
with  the  oil.  First,  Aaron  is  anointed,  and  then  after- 
wards his  sons  are  anointed  with  him,  Aaron  is  anointed 
alone,  even  as  Christ  received  the  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  first  upon  Himself  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan; 
and  then  later  He  shed  the  same  spirit  upon  His  diciples. 
Even  as  He,  we  may  receive  this  divine  anointing.  The 
oil  that  falls  on  Aaron's  head  goes  down  to  the  skirts 
of  his  garment.  The  Spirit  that  was  upon  Him  He 
shed  upon  His  followers.  ^  nding  in  their  midst, 
He  breat'hes  upon  them  and  sa^s  unto  them,  **  Receive 
ye  the  Holy  Ghost,"  and  then  He  explains  the  great 
enduement  and  the  great  commission  by  the  strange 
and  mighty  words,  "As  my  Father  hath  sent  me,  even 
so  send  I  you." 

This  is  our  true  preparation  for  the  highest  of  all 
priestly  ministries,  for  prayer,  and  for  every  other  serv- 
ice in  which  we  would  represent  God  or  bless  men.  Even 
the  blaster  did  not  venture  to  go  forth  to  fulfill  His 
great  commission  until  He  could  stand  before  the  world 
and  say,  **The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me;  because 
he  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor; 
he  hath  sent  me  to  heal  the  broken  hearted,  .... 
to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach  the 
acceptable  year  of  the  Lord."  For  any  man  to  pre- 
sume to  represent  the  Son  of  God,  to  stand  between 
the  living  and  the  dead,  to  act  as  ambassador  for  Christ, 
to  bear  salvation  to  dying  men,  to  bring  men  from  dark- 
ness to  light  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God 
without  the  anointing  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  the  most 
daring  presumption  and  the  most  offensive  impertinence 


THE    ANOINTING   OIL 


83 


,    We 

'leansr 
t  God 
I  until 

lection 

after- 
lointed 
e  Holy 
ordan  -, 
iciples. 
^.  The 
i  skirts 
[im  He 

midst, 
Receive 
le  great 
strange 
le,  even 

t  of  all 
ler  serv- 
i.    Even 
IfiU  His 
le  world 
because 
le  poor; 
•   •    • 
each  the 
to  pre- 
between 
r  Christ, 
lorn  dark- 
nto  God 
the  most 
ertinenci 


to  the  God  whom  he  misrepresents  and  to  the  men  on 
whom  he  imposes. 

3.  The  anointing  of  the  tabernacle  represents  some- 
thing higher  than  even  cleansing  or  service;  namely, 
the  indwelling  and  abiding  presence  of  God  Himself 
in  the  believer,  as  His  consecrated  temple.  We  read 
the  full  account  of  it  in  Exodus  40:9-16.  As  we  have 
seen  ii  a  former  chapter,  it  is  a  groat'  day;  it  marks  a 
special  era  in  their  national  history.  It  was  on  the 
first  day  of  the  first  month  of  the  second  year.  It  marked 
a  new  departure  and  a  higher  experience.  The  glory 
that  had  hitherto  marched  in  front  of  them  or  shone 
above  them  in  t>he  cloud  or  on  the  mountain,  was  hence- 
forth to  be  brought  into  their  very  midst  in  the  Holy 
of  Holies.  But  before  that  presence  could  come  and 
dwell  among  them,  that  tabernacle,  that  was  to  be  its 
shrine  and  home,  must  be  completed  according  to  the 
divine  commandment  in  every  part,  and  then  presented 
to  God  in  the  solemn  ordinance  of  anointing. 

It  was  definitely  laid  at  the  feet  of  Jehovah,  and  the 
sacred  oil  was  poured  upon  it,  as  a  symbol  that  God 
God  Himself  now  took  possession  of  the  sacred  edifice 
and  was  to  make  it«  henceforth  His  personal  abode. 
Then  the  cloud  descended  and  the  tabernacle  became 
the  very  throne  of  the  divine  presence. 

And  so,  when  we  present  our  bodies  "a  living  sacri- 
fice, holy,  a(^ceptable  unto  God,"  we  become  the  sacred 
abode  of  the  Holy  One.  Be  not  conformed  to  this  world, 
but  be  ye  transfigured,  is  the  apostle's  inspiring  message 
to  such  consecrated  lives.  Life  henceforth  becomes  a 
transfiguration  and  we  go  forth  shining  like  the  Master, 
with  the  glory  of  the  inward  presence  which  the  world 
cannot  understand,  but  which  the  angels  perceive,  and 
which  makes  the  consecrated  heart  the  house  of  God 
and  the  very  gate  of  heaven.  Beloved,  have  we  come 
to  this  also  ?  Have  we  reached  the  glory  of  this  mystery, 
which  is  ''Christ  in  you,  the  hope  of  glory"? 


0 


84 


POWKR    KUOM    ON     ilWU 


1    P 


Ancient  minds  in  heathen  lamls  rlreanied  of  something 
like  this,  when  they  cut  in  marble  tiM-ir  ideals  of  beauty 
and  grace  and  then  called  them  gods.  It  was  the  dream 
of  the  human  heart,  trying  to  bring  CJod  down  in  union 
with  man.  But  Jesus  has  accomplished  it  t-iirougli  His 
incarnation  in  our  image  and  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  in  our  hearts,  the  incarnation  of  tin;  Fathei*  in 
Jesus  and  the  incarnation  of  Jesus  in  us  by  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

This  is  the  climax;  this  is  the  consummation;  this  is 
the  crowning  glory  of  redemption;  and  all  that  which 
is  now  being  realized  in  the  individual,  shall  yet,  some 
glorious  day,  be  gathered  tc^ether  into  the  whole  num- 
ber of  glorified  and  transfigured  ones.  Theu  when  the 
whole  Church  of  Christ  shall  meet  and  the  body  shall 
be  complete,  and  the  building  shall  be  crowned  with  the 
glorious  headstone,  then  the  universe  shall  look  upon 
a  spectacle  for  which  all  ages  have  been  preparing,  the 
infinit«  and  eternal  God,  enshrined  in  glorified  human- 
ity. And  the  heavens  shall  cry,  "Behold,  the  tabernacle 
of  God  is  with  men,  and  he  will  dwell  with  them,  and 
they  shall  be  His  people,  and  God  Himself  shall  be  with 
them,  and  be  their  God." 

There  are  three  or  four  other  instances  of  anointing, 
to  which  we  shall  briefly  refer,  inasmuch  as  they  will 
be  considered  more  fully  in  a  later  chapter. 

4.  The  ancient  prophets  were  anointed.  Thus  Elisha 
was  called  to  his  high  office.  And  thus  we  are  called 
and  qualified  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  present  the  will  of 
God,  to  bear  the  Word  of  God  to  our  fellowmen. 

5.  Kings  were  anointed,  as  David  was  set  apart  by 
the  anointing  oil  to  be  God's  chosen  king.  Likewise 
we  are  anointed  kings  and  priests  unto  Him — a  royal 
priesthood  of  love  and  victorious  life,  to  bear  upon  our 
brow  the  majesty  of  the  saints  of  God  as  the  joint  heirs 
with   Christ  in  His  coming  kingdom. 

6.  The  sick   were   anointed   for  healing.     The   Holy 


THE    ANOINTING    OIL 


85 


heirs 
Holy 


Ghost  boi'onu's  to  us  the  quicken in<;  and  health-bringing 
power,  ulio  imparts  the  life  of  Jesus  to  our  mortal 
frames,  expelling  disease  and  bringing  us  into  the  divine 
and  resurrection  life  of  the  Son  of  God. 

7.  Guest«<  were  anointed.  We  read  in  the  twenty- 
third  Psalm  the  beautiful  picture  of  the  guest  sitting 
ut  the  table  of  the  royal  banquet  and  exclaiming,  "Thou 
preparest  a  table  before  me  in  the  presence  of  mine 
enemies:  thou  anointest  my  head  with  oil;  my  cup 
runneth  over."  We  find  Jesus  complaining  to  the 
Pharisee,  "My  head  with  oil  thou  didst  not  anoint; 
but  i,lie  hath  anointed  my  feet." 

The  ancient  host  received  his  guest  with  great  court- 
esy and  took  him  into  the  bathroom,  where  the  stains 
of  the  wayside  were  washed  away,  where  fresh  gar- 
ments were  put  upon  him.  Then  sweet  and  fragrant  oil 
was  poured  upon  his  head. 

So  the  blessed  Holy  Ghost  not  only  becomes  our 
guest;  but  He  turns  around  and  makes  us  as  guests, 
and  then  anoints  us  with  the  sweet,  fragrant  oil  and 
feeds  us  with  the  heavenly  banquet  of  His  love. 

A  missionary  of  the  Northwest  tells  us  that  once 
in  a  while  he  and  his  wife  used  to  visit  the  Indians 
and  have  a  little  feast  with  them  in  their  homes.  The 
missionary's  wife  would  tell  the  Indian  mother  on  Sab- 
bath at  the  little  chapel  to  be  ready  for  her  on  a  certain 
day  that  week,  and  to  prepare  her  best  for  dinner.  The 
poor  squaw  perhaps  would  answer  that  she  had  nothing 
worthy  of  the  missionary  save  a  little  fish.  But  the 
missionary  would  toll  her  to  prepare  what  she  had  and 
to  have  everything  clean  and  bright,  and  it  would  be 
all  right.  So  on  the  appointed  day  the  missionary  would 
arrive,  and  she  would  take  from  her  dog-sleigh  bundle 
aft-er  bundle  of  things.  There  were  tea  and  coffee,  there 
were  sugar  and  bread,  there  were  potatoes,  and  perhaps 
butter  and  little  delicacies  that  that  poor  savage  never 
had  seen  before.     When  all  was  ready  the  missionary 


I 


'  ■  n 


n  f^i:  ir 


\  I 


U: 


86 


POWER  FROM   ON   HIGH 


husband  would  arrive  in  another  dog-sleigh  from  visiting 
the  stations,  and  then  the  feast  would  begin,  and  they 
would  dine  together.  The  missionary  and  his  wife  were 
the  real  host  and  hostess,  and  the  poor  Indian  family 
ate  of  things  that  day  that  they  had  never  tasted  be- 
fore; and  the  missionaries  found  their  joy  in  the  joy 
wliieh  they  brought. 

Ah,  that  is  the  way  that  our  precious  Lord  loves  to 
do  with  us.  We  take  Him  into  our  humble  home,  and 
we  give  Him  our  best,  although  it  is  very  poor  at  the 
best,  and  He  condescends  to  accept  it;  and  then  He 
brings  His  best — all  that  heaven  affords— and  He  feeds 
us  out  of  His  bounty,  and  it<  is  true,  as  He  promised, 
*'I  will  sup  with  him  and  he  will  sup  with  me."  He 
takes  what  we  have  to  give,  but  He  brings  His  richer 
gifts  to  us;  and  as  we  sit  at  His  table  and  feast  upon 
His  love  we  say  with  the  Psalmist,  *'Thou  preparest 
a  table  before  me  in  the  presence  of  mine  enemies ;  thou 
anointest'  my  head  with  oil;   my  cup  runneth  over." 


CHAPTER  VII. 
THE   BAPTISM  WITH  FIRE. 

"He  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Uhost,  and  with  fire." — 
Matthew  3:11.  "For  our  God  is  a  consuming  fire." — Hebrews 
12:  2iJ. 

FIRE  is  one  of  the  most  powerful  and  striking  ele- 
iuents  of  the  material  world.  \:.  has  always  been 
an  object  of  importance  and  of  superstitious  regard 
in  the  religious  ideas  and  customs  of  all  nations.  In 
ancient  Greece  and  Rome  the  sacred  fire  was  guarded 
by  consecrated  priests  and  vestal  virgins,  and  was  t'he 
centre  of  the  commonwealth  and  the  home.  When  the 
fire  went  out,  all  executive  and  national  affairs  were 
suspended,  and  it  had  to  be  rekindled,  either  from  the 
lightnings  of  the  skies,  from  the  concentrated  rays  of 
the  sun,  or  by  the  process  of  friction  and  the  rubbing 
together  of  two  pieces  of  wood. 

The  foreign  ambassador  had  to  walk  by  the  holy  fire 
before  he  could  be  received  in  the  Council  of  State. 
The  Slavonic  and  Teutonic  bride  had  to  bow  before 
the  holy  fire  as  she  entered  her  new  home.  The  Red 
Indian  sachem  walked  t'hrice  around  the  camp-fire  be- 
fore he  would  give  his  counsel  or  confer  with  his  i)ublic 
visitor.  The  twelve  Grecian  tribes  brought  their  twelve 
firebrands  to  Theseus,  and  were  tlius  consolidated  into 
the  State,  and  their  sacred  fires  were  combined  in  the 
Oracle   of  Delphi. 

The  Persian  fire-worshippers  looked  upon  tlie  sim 
and  the  flame  as  sacred  things,  and  it  was  an  unpardon- 
able profanity  to  spit  in  the  fire  or  conunit  auy  im- 
propriety in  the  presence  of   these   holy  elements. 

Fire  was  recognized  as  identical  with  life,  and  the 
Parsees  of  India  today  worship  it  v/ith  holy  veneration. 

87 


C: 

I; 

I 

I 


.K-^M^;, 


._y-„ 


88 


POWER   FROM   ON   HIGH 


Gc/d  had  always  recognized  it  in  His  Word,  not  as  an 
object  of  superstitious  regard,  but  as  the  symbol  of  His 
own  transcendent  glory,  and  the  power  of  His  presence 
and  His  Holy  Spirit. 

As  the  discoveries  of  science  and  the  progress  of 
human  knowledge  increase,  we  learn  to  trace  the  deeper 
analogies  and  more  significant  lessons  in  this  sacred 
symbolism. 

Fire  is  the  most  valuable  physical  force  with  which 
we  are  acquainted.  In  yonder  sun  it  is  the  centre  of 
power  in  our  n'hole  planetary  system.  Stored  up  in 
our  vast  coal-mines,  it  is  the  power  that  drives  the  en- 
gines of  commerce  and  the  wheels  of  industry  throughout 
the  world.  We  see  it  in  the  tremendous  forces  of  modern 
artillery,  the  torpedo,  the  bomb,  the  dynamite,  the  nitro- 
glycerine, and  the  death-dealing  cannon.  It  is  the  prime 
factor  in  all  t'he  implements  of  modern  warfare. 

In  the  still  higher  forces  of  electricity,  witli  their 
countless  and  ever-increasing  adaptations,  it  is  revolu- 
tionizing all  the  methods  of  modern  busines.^,  and  direct- 
ing the  whole  course  of  trade  and  labor.  Science  is  be- 
ginning to  believe  that  the  ultimate  force  of  all  Jiature 
is  just  electricity,  and  that  the  power  that  moves  the 
plpnets  in  their  orbits  and  the  stars  in  their  courses  is 
biic  a  form  of  electric  fire.  The  t»ruth  is,  that  when  they 
get  to  the  end  of  their  ultimatum  they  will  find  that 
God  Himself  is  there,  the  personal  source  of  all  these 
forces,  and  by  His  own  will  directing  this  tremendous 
battery  by  which  the  universe  is  kept  in  moMon.  For 
** power  belongeth  unto  God."  and  He  is  the  "Consum- 
ing Fire"  from  whose  bosom  all  other  forces  emanate. 

The  Holy  Ghost  Himself  has  taught  us  to  recoj»nize 
in  this  tremendous  force  His  own  appropriate  symbol 
**He  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with 
fire." 

There  is  someMiing  very  striking  in  the  analogy  be- 
tween the  story  of  fire  and  the  dispensational  unfolding 


m 


THK  BAPTISM  WITH  FIRE 


89 


as  an 
>i  His 
?sence 

2SS  of 
ieeper 
sacred 

which 
Ltre  of 
up  in 
the  en- 
vighout 
nodern 
3  nitro- 
3  prime 

\\  their 
revolu- 
direct- 

is  be- 
jiature 
'cs  the 
urses  is 
en  they 
id  that 
I  these 

ndoiiii 
For 
orisum- 
111  ate. 
3C0J?nize 
symbol 
Dd  with 


ai 


fir 
n. 


of  the  Holy  Ghost.  There  was  a  time  in  the  history 
of  the  natural  world  when  yonder  celestial  fires  were 
the  objects  of  mystery,  uncertainty,  and  almost  dread. 
The  lightnings  of  the  skies  were  known  to  be  real  forces, 
but  men  knew  not  when  they  would  strike,  and  dared 
not  attempt  to  use  or  control  them.  But  in  these  last 
days  science  has  scaled  the  heavens,  has  caught  the  light- 
nings, and  has  brought  the  tremendous  forces  of  elec- 
tricity under  the  dir<:'Ction  of  such  laws  that  the  simplest 
child  can  use  them  at  pleasure.  They  have  become  the 
instruments  of  our  everj'-day  life,  ringing  our  front 
door-bells,  driving  our  street-cars,  lighting  our  chambers 
and  our  streets,  moving  our  machinery,  carrying  on  our 
business,  and  even  conveying  our  messages  on  the  phono- 
graphic and  telegraphic  wires  over  the   world. 

So,  in  like  manner,  there  was  a  time  when  the  Holy 
Ghost's  heavenly  fire  was  a  mysterious  force,  flashing, 
like  the  lightning  in  the  skies,  we  krew  not  why  or 
whither;  coming  now  upon  a  Moses,  and  again  upon  an 
Elijah;  sometimes  falling  as  at  Carmel,  in  awful  majesty 
upon  the  altar  of  sacrifice;  sometimes  striking,  as  in 
Israel's  camp,  in  the  destroying  flame  of  God's  anger; 
sometimes  appearing,  as  in  the  burning  bush  at  Horeb, 
as  tile  strange,  mysterious  symbol  of  Jehovah 's  presence. 

But  since  Christ's  ascension  the  Holy  Spirit  has  con- 
descended to  dwell  amongst  us  under  certain  plainly- 
revealed  laws,  and  to  place  at  our  service  and  command 
all  the  forces  and  resources  of  His  power,  according 
to  definite,  simple  and  regular  laws  of  operation,  in  ac- 
cordance with  which  the  simplest  disciple  can  use  Him 
for  the  needs  of  his  life  and  work  just  as  easily  as  we 
use  the  force  of  electricity  for  the  business  of  life.  He 
has  even  been  pleased  to  call  Himself  ''the  law  of  the 
Spirit  of  life  in  Chrisi  Jesus." 

He  has  come  down  to  the  level  of  oui'  common  life, 
and  is  ready  to  meet  us  in  every  need  of  our  being,  and 
to  become  to  us,  not  only  the   Author  of  our  higher 


J'OWEK    l''KOM   ON   HIGH 


:f   (c 


sijE^irit ual  lile,  but  tl:w>  Director  and  power  of  our  4m^y 
i:0Ti4\i<!t,  and  of  all  our  work  hf^ro,  whether  in  the  seeu 
lar  or  Mie  spiritual  sphere. 

Let  us  first  look  at  some  of  the  illustrations  of  this 
figure  in  the  Heriptures,  especially  the  use  of  fire  in  the 
Mosaic  ritual. 

At  the  very  beginning  of  the  Exodus  we  find  God 
revealing*  Himself  to  Moses  under  the  symbol  of  the 
burning  bush,  the  tr<^  that  burned  but  was  not  con- 
sumed, thus  makinjf  the  cmbleHi  of  fire  the  special  symbol 
of  His  presence  with  iHrael. 

The  pillar  of  clotid  m^^  i^re  was  but  a  grander  mani- 
festation of  the  same  fi^yfyrtiH  emblesfe  An  in  the  vision 
of  Abraham,  centuri+'i<  befor*-^  th*'  symbol  of  the  divine 
presence  that  appeared  r«  th*  fp\fgiti  ^'ision  given  to  the 
patriarch,  was  a  burning  lamp  ^/w)  a  ninoking  furnace, 
so  all  through  the  wilderrw"!**  M  w«4  by  fire  th;  '  iiod 
manifested  His  presence.  In  H^int  Hmai  fie  'loscended 
in  fire  and  spake  to  the  peopl*-  frrm  the  midst  of  the 
fire.  The  Shekinah  glory  in  the  midst  o^'  the  Holy  of 
Holies  was  probably  a  glowing  flame  of  fire.  It  was 
by  fire  that  He  answered  the  prayei  of  Elijah  on  Movnit 
Carmel,  accepted  the  moYyiU^^  of  Samson's  panmts,  and 
revealed  His  presence  in  f>me,n  j/»«t  to  His  servants. 

In  all  the  sacrifices  and  (M^nniiA  Hfo.  was  an  important 
element.  Tlie  pascbj^l  hmh  w#m  roayred  in  the  fire 
and  eaten  by  the  peopU^  a^  a  symbol  of  Christ  s  fic;;h 
prepared  for  us  and  m'lnis^ ff/i  to  us  by  th  ^  Holy  Ghost 
as  our  Living  Bread. 

The  sin  offering  was  carried  withoit  the  camp  and 
burned  wit-h  fire,  as  a  symbol  of  our  sin  laid  upon  »jesus 
and  consumed  by  the  Holy  Ghost  outside  the  pale  of 
our  consciousness,  so  tluit  we  \  ave  nothing  more  to  do 
with  it,  but  shuply  to  lay  it  on  the  Lamb  of  God  and 
leave  it  with  Him. 

The  burnt  offering  was  eonsunicd  upon  the  altar  by 
fire,  the  type  of  (Christ.,  offered   not  fm    our  sins,  but 


THE  BAPTISM  WITH  FIRE 


91 


for  our  acceptance  with  God,  and  the  type  of  our  true 
consecration  as  we  yield  ourselves  up  to  God  by  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

As  the  fire  was  kept  ever  burning,  so  the  Holy  Ghost 
in  the  consecrated  soul  will  make  our  whole  life  a  living 
sacrifice,  holy  and  acceptable  unto  God. 

The  peace  offering  was  also  connected  wit-h  the  sacred 
fire.  It  was  the  type  of  our  communion  with  God.  In 
this  sacrifice  the  fat  and  the  inwards  were  given  to  God, 
and  consumed  upon  the  altar  by  the  fire.  This  was  the 
type  of  God's  part  in  the  communion  of  the  believer. 
Then  the  shoulder  and  breast  were  given  to  t-he  priest 
and  eaten  by  him,  a  symbol  of  our  part  in  this  holy  com- 
munion. But  it  is  the  Holy  Ghost  alone  that  can  maiu- 
tain  the  true  fellowship  of  the  peace  offering,  and  en- 
able us  first  to  give  to  God  the  worship  and  homage  due 
t'^  Him,  and  then  to  take  our  part  and  feed  up^  Christ 
as  our  Living  Bread. 

Next,  the  nipiil  oll'ering  whs  an  offering  b^^  fire.  It  was 
fine  flour  baked  in  the  fire,  mingled  with  oil  and  frank- 
incense, and  free  from  leaven  and  honey.  It  v.  as  the 
type  of  Jesus  Christ,  our  spiritual  sustenance,  nour- 
ishing and  feeding  us  with  His  own  life  by  the  fire 
of  the  Holy  Ghost'. 

It  is  one  thing  to  feed  upon  the  truth;  it  is  anotiu  r 
thing  to  feed  upon  Christ  Only  the  Spirit  of  God  cat? 
raak»^  even  the  life  of  Christ  our  Living  Broad.  The 
difference  is  just  the  same  as  if  you  should  attempt  to 
feed  upon  raw  wheat  instead  of  prepared  bread.  It 
is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit*  to  prepare  for  us  tlu^ 
Bread  o^  Life,  and  to  minister  il  to  us  as  the  Living 
Christ. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  offerings  was  the 
incense  prerf'nted  in  the  holy  place.  This  also  was  an 
offf'ring  by  fire.  The  sweet  spices  were  ground  and 
mixed,  some  of  them  beaten  very  small;  and  then  they 
were  burned  in  the  golden  censer,  and  their  sweet'  fra- 


I? 


! 


M '  ■>• 


92 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


i  |i 


grance  went  up  in  clouds  of  incense  before  the  Lord, 
filling  all  the  holy  place  with  fragrance,  and  breathing 
out  the  very  spirit  of  worship  continually. 

This  is  the  type  of  Christ's  priesthood  first,  and  then 
of  our  true  ministry  of  prayer.  Like  the  incense  beaten 
small,  it  may  have  to  do  with  the  most  trifling  things. 
Like  the  spices,  whose  very  names  we  do  not  now  under- 
stand, and  whose  nature  is  unknown,  except  the  frank- 
incense, so  in  all  prayer  there  is  much  of  mystery,  and 
much  that  even  the  praying  heart  does  not  fully  compre- 
hend. And  yet,  like  the  frankincense,  which  was  well 
known,  there  are  ingredients  and  elements  in  prayer 
of  which  we  do  know,  and  things  for  which  we  ask  of 
which  we  are  definitely  aware,  and  for  which  we  may 
definite  believe. 

But'  above  all,  the  fire  which  consumed  the  incense 
is  the  type  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  without  whom  all  our 
prayers  must  stop  short  of  heaven,  and  through  whom 
alone  our  desires  can  reach  the  throne  and  become  ef- 
fectual with  God. 

There  is  no  deeper  experience  in  the  Christian  life 
than  this  ministry  of  prayer  in  the  Spirit.  '*For  we 
know  not  what  to  pray  for  as  we  ought,  but  the  Spirit 
maketh  intercession  for  us  with  groanings  that  cannot 
Ik  uttered.  And  he  that  seareheth  the  heart  knoweth 
what  is  the  mind  of  the  Spirit,  because  he  maketh  in- 
tercession for  the  saints  according  to  the  will  of  God," 

Again,  we  see  the  use  of  the  fire  in  the  ordinance 
of  the  red  heifer.  This  type  was  especially  for  God's 
people  in  their  wilderness  life.  The  red  heifer  repre- 
sented Christ  our  Sacrifice,  slain  and  consumed  for  us 
on  the  '\ltar  of  God.  But  in  the  burning  of  the  heifer 
there  come  the  scarlet  wool,  the  cedar  and  the  hyssop 
leaves,  representing  something  which  is  to  be  consumed, 
along  with  the  death  of  Christ. 

The  starlet   wool   represents  our  sins,  the  cedar  oiJ* 


THE  BAPTISM  WITH  FIRE 


93 


>r    01 J 


strength,  and  the  hyssop  our  weakness  and  the  clinging 
element  in  our  nature. 

All  these  things  are  to  be  crucified  with  Christ,  and 
this  can  be  done  only  through  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ohost.  We  are  not  equal  to  the  task  of  self-crucifixion, 
but  we  can  hand  over  anything  and  everything  to  flini. 
and  consent  that  it  shall  alv..  Then  by  the  power  of  His 
Holy  Spirit  He  will  put  it  to  death  and  make  the  cruci- 
fixion real. 

Even  after  the  death  of  the  heifer  the  fire  was  to  be 
preserved  and  made  perpetual  by  the  preservation  of 
the  ashes.  You  know  ashes  are  a  kind  of  preserved 
fire.  By  pouring  water  upon  these  ashes  you  create 
lye,  a  very  acrid,  pungent,  burning  substance.  Now, 
these  ashes  were  preserved  and  water  poured  upon  them, 
and  used  as  a  water  of  separation  or  purification  when 
any  one  had  contracted  any  sin  or  defilement  whatso- 
ever. 

It  was  the  type  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
constantly  cleansing  us  from  defilement  or  pollution  con- 
tracted from  earthly  things  and  absorbed  from  the  Ht- 
mosphere  in  which  we  live. 

This  cleansing  is  not  always  pleasant.  It  is  sometimes 
like  the  touch  of  lye,  a  consuming  fire ;  but  it  is  a  whole- 
some thing,  like  the  burning  away  of  proud  flesh  by  caus- 
tic, to  have  our  very  nature  purified  for  us  from  self  aihl 
sin. 

It  is  blessed  to  be  able  thus  to  come  in  every  moment 
of  defilement,  and  to  walk  in  the  constant  cleansing  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  knowing  that  we  are  not  only  cleansed 
but  kept  clean,  ever  acceptable  to  God  through  Jesus 
Christ,  and  ready  for  constant  fellowship  and  holy 
service  as  He  may  require. 

We  find  the  fire  manifested  in  a  very  remarkable  way 
in  connection  with  Elijah's  history.  On  Mt.  Carmel 
the  fire  came  from  heaven  as  a  special  sign  of  God's 
acceptance  of  the  saerifi(;e  and  the  manifestation  of  His 


? 

it'. 


94 


POWER  FROM   ON    HIGU 


f  1 


power  to  His  returning  people.  As  it  fell  upon  the 
altar  it  not  only  consumed  the  sacrifice,  but  it  licked 
up  tiie  water  in  trenches.  To  complete  the  faith  of  the 
people  in  Jehovah,  He  made  the  miracle  as  difficult  as 
possible  by  covering  the  altar  and  filling  the  trenches 
round  about  with  floods  of  water,  so  that  deception  was 
impossible. 

God  met  the  faith  of  His  servant,  and  wrought  a  work 
so  glorious  and  divine  that  it  was  manifest  to  every 
eye  that  it  was  the  finger  of  God ;  and  the  great  multi- 
tude sent  up  the  cry,  ''Jehovah,  He  is  God!  Jehovah, 
He  is  God!" 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  thus  the  power  of  God  in  our 
work,  the  fire  that'  all  the  devil's  floods  cannot  extinguish, 
the  fire  that  delights  in  the  hardest  places  and  the  most 
difficult  undertakings. 

We  need  not  fear  to  claim  this  power  for  even  the 
impossi))!e,  but  may  boldly  bring  to  God  the  mightiest 
difficulties,  and  glorify  Him  all  the  more  in  the  face  of 
Satan's  fiercest  and  most  formidable  opposition. 

Once  more,  we  see  the  fire  as  the  emblem  of  destruc- 
tion. When  the  presuming  priests  dared  to  offer  strange 
fire  before  the  Lord,  t-hen  God's  consuming  fire  fell  upon 
them  and  destroyed  them. 

And  so  the  Holy  Ghost  is  still  present  as  God's  aveng- 
ing power.  He  that  struck  down  Ananias  and  Sapphira 
in  their  presumption  and  hypocrisy,  is  still  present  in 
the  Church  as  the  Executive  of  Jehovah,  and  the  "con- 
suming fire,"  to  whom  we  can  safely  leave  all  our  en- 
emies and  all  the  hate  of  earth  and  hell. 

There  are  several  lessons  which  we  may  learn  from 
the  figure  itself. 

Fire  is  a  cleansing  element.  It  diffei*s  from  water  in 
this,  that,  while  water  cleanses  externally,  fire  purifies 
internally  and  intrinsically,  penetrating  lo  the  very 
substance  of  things,  and  filling  everv^  fibre  and  particle 
of  matter  with  its  own  element. 


THE  BAPTISM  WITH  FIRE 


95 


>phira 

mt  in 

con- 

ir  en- 

frora 

er  in 

uifios 

very 

irticle 


The  baptism  of  John  represented  the  cleansing  of  our 
life  and  conduct,  the  reformation  of  our  character,  and 
the  work  of  the  law  and  the  truth  upon  human  hearts. 
But  Clirist's  baptism  was  by  fire,  and  went  to  the  roots 
of  conduct.  The  purity  He  required  included  motives, 
aims,  and  "the  thoujrhts  and  intents  of  the  heart." 
He  not  only  requires  but  He  gives  the  purity  that 
springs  from  the  depths  of  our  being.  Like  the  flame 
that  consumes  the  dross  and  leaves  the  molten  metal 
pure  and  unalloyed,  so  the  Holy  Ghost  separatos  us 
from  our  old  sinful  and  self-like  and  burns  into  i-s 
the  nature  and  the  life  of  Christ. 

Again,  fire  quickens  and  gives  life.  The  returning 
spring  and  the  solar  heat  call  int'O  life  the  buried  seeds 
of  field  and  garden,  and  all  nature  springs  into  beauty 
and  fruitfulness.  The  heated  greenhouse  germinates  the 
seeds  and  plants  of  the  gardener  and  pushes  them  for- 
ward into  rapid  and  luxuriant  growth.  The  process  of 
heat  incubates  the  little  birdling  in  its  shell  and  nurses 
it  into  life. 

So  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  quickener  of  life.  We  are 
born  again  by  the  Spirit,  nursed  into  spiritual  being, 
and  cherished  into  growth  and  maturity,  by  the  Spirit 
of  God. 

Again,  t-he  Holy  Spirit  warms  and  cpiickens  the  heart 
into  love.  Like  the  change  from  the  cold  winter  to  the 
vernal  sunshine  of  the  spring  is  the  transition  which 
He  brings  into  the  heart.  It  is  His  mission  to  break 
the  fetters  of  fear  and  sorrow,  and  to  kindle  in  the 
heart  the  love  of  Christ  and  the  joy  of  heaven,  warming 
every  affection  of  the  new  nature,  and  shedding  abroad 
the  love  of  God  in  the  soul  until  it  becomes  a  summer- 
land  of  love. 

And,  finally,  fire  is  an  energizing  force.  It  gives 
power.  So  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  source  of  power.  Sure- 
ly, if  He  has  been  able  to  give  to  the  forces  of  nature 
iheir  tremendous  power;    to  give  to  the  sun  the  force 


it' 


96 


POWER  FKOM   ON    HIGH 


In 


that  can  hold  the  planets  in  their  course,  and  quicken 
and  warm  the  earth  into  life  and  luxuriance;  if  He 
has  stored  up  in  the  lightnings,  and  the  coal-mines, 
and  the  atmosphere,  the  yet  only  half-revealed  dynamics 
which  propel  the  industries  of  the  human  race,  He  Him- 
self is  able  to  accomplish  more  than  any  of  His  agencies 
or  works. 

How  blind  are  they  who  are  trying  to  do  the  work 
of  God  without  His  power!  How  we  would  laugh  at 
the  man  who  today  would  try  to  turn  the  great  driving- 
wheel  of  a  factory  by  a  treadmill,  with  a  dozen  men 
turning  it  with  their  weight,  as  they  still  do  in  China! 
And  yet  thousands  of  Christians  are  trying  to  carry 
on  their  Lord's  work  by  their  own  puny  hands. 

Science  has  grown  wise  enough  to  turn  on  the  forces 
of  steam  and  electricity.  Oh,  let  faith  turn  on  the 
dynamo  of  heaven  and  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost ! 
This  is  the  secret'  of  victory  over  temptation  and  sin 
and  all  our  spiritual  enemi**s. 

Archimedes  of  old  was  said  to  Ifeve  consumed  ^h« 
vessels  of  the  enemies  of  his  country  by  setting  fire  to 
them  in  the  harbor  of  Syracuse  by  a  burning-glass, 
by  which  he  attracted  the  solar  rays  in  a  focus  upon 
the  hostile  fleet ;  and  they  went  up  in  a  blaze  of  destruc- 
tion. So  let  us  consume  our  enemies  and  His  by  the 
fii*e  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

When  the  little  camp  on  the  vast  prairie  finds  that 
a  wave  of  fire  is  sweeping  over  the  plain,  and  that  in 
and  hour  or  two  they  will  be  engulfed  in  flame  and 
destroyed  by  tlie  resistless  element,  they  are  wise  enough 
to  clear  an  open  space  around  them  and  then  start 
another  fire  from  their  own  camp  and  send  it  out  to 
meet  the  approaching  wave.  As  it*  rolls  across  the 
open  plain,  destroying  every  combustible  thing  that 
is  in  the  way  at  length  it  meets  the  advancing  fire; 
and  the  two  leap  up  to  heaven  in  one  wild  outburst 
of  fury  and  then  expire  for  the  want  of  fuel.     The 


i 


W' 


THE  BAPTISM  WITH  FIRE 


97 


travellers  are  left  in  safety  on  the  prairie,  where  there 
is  nothing  to  feed  the  fire. 

So  let  us  meet  the  fire  of  evil  with  the  fire  of  the 
H'jly  Ghost.  We  have  divine  resources.  Why  should 
we  stoop  to  the  human?  We  have  God  to  fighl  our 
battles  for  us.    Why  should  we  do  it  ourselves? 

In  ancient  Rome  when  the  fire  went  out  all  statb 
business  had  to  cease.  They  dared  not  do  a  tiling  with- 
out the  sacred  fire.  So  all  true  work  ceases  when  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  withdrawn  from  the  Church  of  God  and 
from  the  midst  of  tht^  work.  God  does  not  accept  any- 
thing that  is  not  done  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit. 

In  ancitMit  Rome  the  fire  had  to  be  rekindled  either 
from  the  lightnings  of  the  sky,  or  from  the  sun,  or  from 
the  friction  of  two  pieces  of  wood.  So  sometimes  God  sends 
u>s  the  lightnings  of  his  power  to  rekindle  the  flame 
Although  this  is  often  a  very  dangerous  thing,  He  has 
sometimes  to  strike  with  a  stroke  of  judgment  before 
His  people  awake  to  their  need. 

We  can  always  draw  the  fire  by  the  burning-glass 
of  faith  from  the  Son  of  Righteousness.  And  God  has 
yet  another  way  of  increasing  our  spiritual  fire,  and 
that  is  by  friction. 

The  other  day,  in  one  of  our  cities,  I  was  asked  to 
notice  the  factory  where  the  electric  force  was  gen- 
erated for  the  trolley  engines.  I  found  it  was  generated 
entirely  by  friction.  Great  wheels  were  constantly  re- 
volving and  producing  the  electric  force  by  rubbing 
together. 

So  GrO(\  in  like  manner  often  quickens  our  lives  and 
deepens  our  spiritual  force  by  the  tests  and  trials  which 
throw  us  upon  Him,  and  compel  us  to  take  more  of  His 
life  and  strength. 

Then  let  us,  instead  of  quarrelling  with  our  circum- 
stances and  mourning  over  our  trials,  use  everything  that 
comes  to  bring  us  more  of  God,  and  strengthen  us  for 
higher  service  and  mightier  usefulness,  through  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

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CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  WISDOM. 

"God  hath  .  .  .  given  us  the  Spirit  ...  of  a  sound  mind/' — 
2    Tim.    1 :  7. 

"Thou  gavest  also  Thy  good  Spirit  to  instruct  them." — Nehe- 
miah    y :  20. 


THE  latter  passage  suggests  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Sprit  as  the  teacher  and  guide  of  God's  people 
through  their  history  in  the  wilderness.  The  pre- 
vious verses  connect  the  passage  with  the  history  of  Israel 
during  the  forty  years  of  their  wandering,  and  identifies 
the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire  which  led  them  through  the 
wilderness  with  the  Holy  Spirit  who  is  our  Leader  and 
Guide. 

The  other  passage  from  the  Epistle  to  Timothy  pre- 
sents to  us  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  Spirit  of  wisdom  and 
of  a  sound  mind. 

It  is  interesting  and  instructive  to  trace  the  revelation 
of  the  divine  Spirit  in  the  Old  Testament,  as  the  Spirit 
of  wisdom  and  guidance.  Let  us  look  at  a  few  special 
examples. 

1.  The  first  is  the  case  of  Joseph,  referred  to  in  Gene- 
sis 41 :  38-40,  "And  Pharoah  said  unto  his  servants.  Can 
we  find  such  a  one  as  this,  a  man  in  whom  the  Spirit  of 
God  is?  And  Pharoah  said  unto  Joseph.  Forasmuch  as 
God  has  shewed  thee  all  this,  there  is  none  so  discreet 
and  wise  as  thou  art :  thou  shalt  be  over  my  house,  and 
according  to  thy  word  shall  all  my  people  be  niled :  only 
in  the  throne  will  1  be  greater  than  thou," 

Here  we  get  a  glimpse  of  the  secret  that  lay  back  of 
Joseph's  extraordinary  life;  it  was  the  Spirit  of  God. 
Perhaps  there  never  was  a  life  that  touched  more  closely 
the  common  life  of  suffering  humanity.    We  see  in  him  a 

98 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  WISDOM 


99 


true  and  noble  nakire  exposed  to  the  discipline  of  tlio 
keenest  suffering ;  separated  from  home  and  friends ;  car- 
ried into  captivity  in  a  foreign  land;  misunderi-tood 
traduced,  unjustly  condemned,  and  cast  into  a  prison 
under  the  deepest  and  most  unjust  opprobrium  and  dis- 
grace; and  yet,  so  heroically  standing  true  to  God  and 
righteousness,  and  so  steadfastly  trusting  in  the  divine 
faithfUiUess  and  love,  that  he  triumphed  at  length  over 
all  his  difficulties,  rose  from  the  prison  to  a  princedom 
of  honor  and  influence,  and  from  the  very  lowest  place 
found  a  pathway  to  the  highest  position  that  it  was  pos- 
sible for  a  mortal  to  attain.  Was  there  ever  a  more  ex- 
traordinary transformation,  was  there  ever  a  more  st-nk- 
ing  object  lesson  of  the  power  of  high  and  holy  char- 
acter? 

But  the  passage  we  have  quoted  reveals  the  secret  of 
it  all.  It  was  not  the  triumph  of  human  character,  but 
the  result  of  a  divine  direction  that  led  him  through  all 
his  steppings  and  lifted  him  above  all  his  trials.  It  was 
a  beautiful  illustration  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
the  practical  affairs  of  human  life,  and  the  commonplace 
sphere  through  which  the  largest  part  of  our  existence 
here  has  to  pass. 

The  most  beautiful  fact  about  it  all  was,  that  even 
Pharoah  himself,  the  proud  and  ungodly  king  of  Egypt, 
was  the  first  to  recognize  this  divine  presence  in  Joseph's 
life.  Joseph  did  not  have  to  advertise  himself  as  one 
possessed  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  but  as  the  men  of  the  world 
watched  him,  they  themselves  were  compelled  to  say, 
' '  Can  we  find  such  a  one  as  this  in  whom  the  Spirit  of 
God  is?" 

It  is  so  beautiful  when  even  ungodly  men  are  com- 
pelled to  see  and  glorify  God  in  our  lives.  There  is  no 
greater  triumph  of  holy  character  than  to  compel  the 
testimony  of  the  men  of  the  world  to  the  power  of  God 
in  us. 


I 


100 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


in 


This  was  the  glory  of  Daniel 's  life,  that  even  his  worst 
enemies  had  to  say,  "We  can  find  nothing  against  this 
man,  except  it  be  as  concerning  the  law  of  his  God ' ' ;  and 
the  grandest  testimony  ever  given  to  Jesus  Christ  by  hu- 
man lips  was  that  of  His  judge,  Pontius  Pilate,  when  he 
was  forced  to  say, ' '  I  bring  Him  forth  to  you  that  ye  may 
know  that  I  find  no  fault  in  Him." 

0,  men  of  the  world,  0,  young  men,  looking  out  upon 
the  future  and  wanting  to  know  the  secret  of  the  highest 
success,  would  that  you  might  know  that  the  same  Spirit 
that  guided  Joseph 's  steps,  and  led  him  through  his  pain- 
ful  pathway  until  from  the  dungeon  of  Pharoah  and  the 
kitchen  of  Potiphar  he  reached  the  premiership  of  all 
Egypt,  and  indeed  of  all  the  world,  is  ready  to  be  your 
Guide,  your  Teacher,  your  Wisdom,  and  the  Source  of 
all  your  strength,  success,  and  happiness. 

2.  The  next  example  is  the  case  of  Moses  and  Aaron: 
Exodus  4 :  10-16.  In  this  passage  we  have  an  account  of 
God's  call  to  Moses  to  undertake  the  leadership  of  Israel 
from  Egypt  to  Canaan,  and  the  special  task  of  going  to 
Pharoah  to  demand  the  release  of  God's  people  from 
their  bondage.  We  find  Moses  shrinking  from  the  task 
because  he  was  slow  of  speech  and  asking  God  to  send 
somebody  else.  God  answers  Moses  by  saying,  "Who  hath 
made  man's  mouth,  or  who  maketh  the  dumb,  or  deaf, 
or  the  seeing,  or  the  blind  ?  Have  not  I,  the  Lord  ?  Now 
therefore  go,  and  I  will  be  with  thy  mouth,  and  teach  thee 
what  thou  shalt*  say." 

Still  Moses  was  iinsatisfied  and  unwilling,  and  then  God 
became  displeased  with  him  and  bade  him  call  his  brother 
Aaron.  ''And  thou  shalt  speak  unto  him,  and  put  words 
in  his  mouth:  and  I  will  be  with  thy  mouth,  and  with 
his  mouth,  and  will  teach  you  what  ye  shall  do.  And  he 
shall  be  thy  spokesman  unto  the  people:  and  he  shall 
be,  even  he  shall  be  to  thee  instead  of  a  mouth,  and  thou 
shalt  be  to  him  instead  of  God." 

Here  we  see  God  offering  to  be  to  Moses  not  only  the 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  WISDOM 


101 


wisdom  to  know  what  he  ought  to  say,  but  the  power  of 
utterance  to  say  it  rightly.  The  faith  of  Moses,  however, 
was  not  quite  equal  to  the  mighty  promise.  God,  there- 
fore, indulged  him  in  his  timidity  and  unbelief  by  shar- 
ing the  commission  with  another,  and  giving  him  Aaron 
to  be  a  voice  and  an  utterance  for  him. 

In  accepting  this  compromise,  Moses  lost  a  great  deal, 
for  the  same  God  that  gave  Aaron  the  power  of  utterance 
could  just  as  well  have  given  it  to  him.  It  was  all  of 
God  from  beginning  to  end,  and  Moses  might  just  as 
well  have  had  the  whole  blessing  as  the  half.  Indeed, 
as  the  sequel  proved,  the  partnership  of  Aaron  was  per- 
haps a  doubtful  blessing,  because  the  day  came  when  this 
same  Aaron  became  the  tempter  of  Israel  and  the  snare 
of  Moses.  It  was  he  who  made  for  the  children  of  Israel 
the  golden  calf  which  they  worshipped  in  idolatrous 
wickedness  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Sinai,  thereby  bringing 
down  upon  their  heads  the  anger  and  judgment  of  an 
offended  God.  So  that,  instead  of  being  altogether  a  help 
to  him,  the  prop  that  he  leaned  upon  broke  under  his 
weight  and  pierced  his  own  hand  and  heart. 

The  lesson  is  a  very  practical  one  for  us.  The  same 
Spirit  that  called  and  commissioned  Moses  for  his  great 
undertaking  is  promised  to  us  as  our  enduement  of  power 
for  the  service  to  which  He  sends  us.  He  is  able  to  be 
to  us  a  "mouth  and  wisdom,  which  all  our  adversaries 
shall  not  be  able  to  gainsay  or  resist."  But  if  we  look 
to  our  own  strength  or  weakness,  or  lean  upon  the 
strength  and  wisdom  of  others,  we,  like  Moses,  shall  find 
that  our  earthly  reliance  will  become  a  snare,  and  we 
shall  be  taught  by  painful  experience  the  wretchedness 
of  ''the  man  who  trusteth  in  man  and  maketh  flesh  his 
arm,"  and  the  safety  and  happiness  of  depending  only 
upon  God  for  all  cur  resources  of  wisdom  and  strength 
for  the  work  for  v/^hieh  He  sends  us. 

3.  The  next  example  of  the  Spirit  of  wisdom  we  find 
in  Numbers  6 :  J 1-1'^,  and  also  verses  24-29.  This  passage 


I 


''I 
it 


MUMH 


102 


f'OWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


is  .similar  to  tlie  last  in  its  general  significanct^.  We  find 
Moses  feeling'  the  heavy  pressure  of  t'he  responsibility 
tiiat  re8t<Ml  upon  him  as  the  leader  of  the  people.  Their 
unbelief  and  rebellion  were  eontinunlly  grieving  and 
breaking  his  heart,  and  at  last  he  breaks  out  with  a 
discouraged  and  p(itulant  complaint  against  God, 
''Wherefore  hast  Thou  afflicted  Thy  servant?  .  .  .  that 
Thou  layest  the  burden  of  all  this  people  upon  me?  .  .  . 
1  am  not  able  to  bear  all  this  people  alone,  because  it  is 
too  heavy  for  me,"  God  took  him  up  immediately,  as  He 
is  always  read}'  to  take  us  at  our  word. 

It  is  a  very  serious  thing  to  spe«k  hasty  words  to 
God  and  words  of  discouragement  and  distrust.  It  is  a 
very  sad  and  solenui  thing  to  ask  God  to  relieve  us  of 
any  trust  that  He  has  put  ui)on  our  shoulders.  It  is  very 
easy  to  miss  our  crown  and  our  life  service  by  petulance 
and  unbelief.  "And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Gather 
unto  me  seventy  men  of  the  elders  of  Israel,  .  .  .  and  I 
will  come  down  and  talk  with  thee  there:  and  I  will 
take  of  the  Spirit  which  is  upon  thee,  and  will  put  it 
upon  them ;  and  they  shall  bear  the  burden  of  the  people 
with  thee,  that  thou  bearest  not  thyself  alone."  And  a 
little  later  it  is  added,  "The  Lord  came  down  m  a  cloud, 
and  spake  unto  him,  and  took  of  the  Spirit  that  was  upon 
him,  and  gave  it  unto  the  seventy  elders :  and  it  came  to 
pass,  that,  when  the  Spirit  rested  upon  them,  they  proph- 
esied, and  did  not  cease." 

Now,  at  the  first  sif>:ht,  all  this  looks  like  a  very  great 
increase  of  help  and  power  to  Moses;  instead  of  iDearing 
the  burdens  of  the  people  alone  he  gets  seventy  men 
to  help  him,  men  of  wisdom  aad  experience,  men  poss'is- 
sing  the  same  Spirit  which  was  upon  him.  But  when  we 
look  more  closely  at  it  we  notice  that  these  men  did  not 
receive  any  additional  power  whatever,  but  only  a  por- 
tion of  the  same  Spirit  which  was  already  upon  Moses. 
In  other  words,  God  took  a  little  of  the  power  that  Moses 
already  had  and  distributed  it  among  a  number  of  per- 


■^:i'iiii:-'h 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  WISDOM 


103 


Their 
;  aud 
nth.  a 
God, 
.  that 


sons,  so  that  instend  of  one  person  having  the  power,  sev- 
enty-one  persons  now  had  it ;  hut  there  was  no  more  power 
among  tlie  sev^enty-onc  than  there  had  been  upon  the  one. 
All  the  wisdom  of  God  and  all  the  strength  of  God  had 
been  given  to  Moses  personally,  and  God  had  no  more  to 
give  to  the  seventy  elders.  It  was  spread  out  a  little 
more  and  over  a  wider  surface.  Nay,  before  the  storj'- 
was  ended,  these  seventy  elders  became  as  great  a  trial 
to  the  heart  of  Moses  as  Aaron,  his  brother.  Indeed, 
they  were  the  beginning  of  the  famous  Council  of  Seven- 
ty, who  afterwards  were  called  the  Sanhedrim  or  Coun- 
cil of  the  Seventy  Elders,  the  very  Council  of  Seventy 
who  afterwards  condemned  to  death  and  became  guilty 
of  the  crucifixion  of  the  Son  of  God  Himself.  These, 
the  seventy  elders  for  whom  Moses  in  \\vt.  unbelief  asked, 
instead  of  being  a  real  help,  became,  perhaps,  a  hin- 
drance. 

What  is  the  lesson  for  us?  That  the  Spirit  of  God 
is  our  All-Sufficiency  for  every  work  to  which  He  sends 
us,  and  that  He  is  able  to  work  as  well  by  few  as  by 
many,  by  one  as  by  one  thousand.  Our  trust  should 
not'  be  in  numbers  or  in  human  wisdom,  but  in  the 
strength  of  God  Himself,  whether  that  strength  is  given 
without  human  instrumentalities,  or  through  the  sym- 
pathy and  help  of  multitudes.  Men  may  help  us  in 
the  work  of  God,  but  only  as  God  sends  them  and  fills 
them   with    His  ovm   power. 

A  little  later  in  this  narrative  we  have  the  account 
of  two  of  the  elders,  namely,  Eldad  and  Medad,  verses 
26-29,  who  were  found  prophesying  beyond  the  limits 
of  their  special  appointment.  Moses'  friends  were  dis- 
posed to  rebuke  them  and  restrain  them,  but  Moses  in 
his  large-hearted  wisdom  recognized  the  fact  that  God 's 
gifts  often  overrun  all  ordinary  channels  and  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  cannot  be  confined  by  our  ideas  of  pro- 
priety. He  let'  them  alone,  as  we  should  do  with  our 
brethren  when  we  see  them  working  for  God  and  wit- 


'j^mmmmmmft 


101 


POWER  FROM  ON   llIGti 


nessiuj^  Tor  the  truth,  eveu  outside  the  pale  of  our  con- 
ventional forms  and  organizations.  God's  power  is 
greater  than  our  petty  programs,  and  if  a  man  is  but 
honoring  Christ  and  witnessing  for  Him  in  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  let  us  not  try  to  bring  him  into  our 
particular  set  or  make  him  pronounce  our  petty  Shi- 
boleth. 

4.  The  next  example  of  this  divine  enduiement  is 
Joshua,  Numbers  27 :  18.  "  And  the  Lord  said  unto 
Moses,  Take  unto  thee  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun,  a  man 
in  whom  is  the  Spirit,  and  lay  thine  hand  upon  him; 
and  set  him  before  Eleazar  the  priest,  and  before  all 
the  congregation;  and  give  him  a  charge  in  their  sight.'* 

In  this  i)assage  we  see  Joshua  already  possessing  the 
Spirit  before  Moses  ordains  him  to  a  special  charge, 
showing  that  personal  preparation  must  always  come 
before  public  ordination.  It  is  not  the  act  of  ordination 
that  gives  a  man  the  Spirit,  but  it  is  the  possession  of 
the  Spirit  that  entitles  a  man  to  public  ordination. 
God  must  make  a  minister  first  by  his  own  direct  en- 
ablin<?.  When  God  has  given  him  the  Spirit,  it  is  the 
part  of  man  to  recognize  what  God  has  done  and  to 
set  apart  the  truly-consecrated  instrument  for  special 
service. 

There  is  another  passage,  Deuteronomy  34 : 9,  which 
shows  how  the  act  or  ordination  may  be  followed  in 
a  truly  consecrated  person  by  added  blessing  and  deeper 
fullness  of  the  Spirit.  *'And  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun 
was  full  of  the  Spirit  of  wisdom;  for  Moses  had  laid 
his  hands  upon  him."  Here  we  see  that  after  Moses 
laid  his  hands  upon  Joshua  there  was  added  fuUnesa 
of  blessing.  There  are  two  stages,  therefore,  in  Joshua's 
spiritual  history:  first,  he  has  the  Spirit  before  he 
was  called  to  his  great  trust;  and  then,  his  call  to  the 
trust  brought  him  a  higher  fullness  of  the  Spirit.  Would 
we  be  honored  with  special  service  for  God?  Let  as  be 
filled  with  the  Spirit  continually,  and  ready  at  His  hand 


Tilt:  SPIRIT  OF  WISDOM 


105 


con- 
er  is 
s  but 
)ower 

0  our 
Shi- 

jnt  is 
unto 

1  man 
him; 

>re  all 
ight.'* 
Qg  the 
iharge, 
;  come 
mation 
sion  of 
nation. 
3ct  en- 
is  the 
md  to 
special 

which 
^ed  in 
deeper 
Nuii 
id  laid 

Moses 
uUnesa 
Dshua's 
ore  h« 

to  the 

Would 

as  be 

s  baud 


>f 


t 


for  whatever  ministry  He  needs  us,  and  \vc  shall  be 
more  likely  to  be  called.  Have  we  been  called  to  special 
service?  Then  let  us  throw  ourselves  upon  Him  for 
larger  measures  of  His  grace  and,  like  Joshua,  be  filled 
with  the  Spirit. 

This  was  the  secret  of  Joshua's  wondrous  life.  While 
Muses  was  divinely  endued  for  his  great  task  by  the 
Spirit  of  wisdom,  and  Joseph  was  fitted  for  his  practi- 
cal life  by  the  Spirit  of  righteousness,  discretiou,  and 
courage,  Joshua  needed  just  as  distinct  and  divine  an 
enabling  for  his  mighty  undertaking.  He  was  to  be 
the  military  leader  of  Israel's  great  campaign,  the  war- 
rior captain  of  the  Lord's  triumphant  host,  and  he  need- 
ed peculiar  equipment  for  his  mighty  task.  He  was  sent 
against  the  mightiest  nations  of  antiquity,  the  powerful 
Hittite  kings,  who,  as  we  learn  from  the  records  of  the 
post,  were  the  rivals  of  the  Egyptians  themselves  in 
military  prov^'css.  He  was  sent  with  an  army  of  undis- 
ciplined men  to  attack  the  mightiest  strongholds  of 
powerful  nations.  Before  his  victorious  legions  in  a  few 
short  years  their  mij^htiest  citadels  fell,  and  no  less  than 
thirty-one  powerful  sovereigns  were  brought  into  sub- 
jection. 

No  grander  military  campaign  was  ever  fought,  and 
the  very  highest  qualities  of  wisdom,  strategy,  courage, 
faith,  and  perseverance  were  needed  for  this  mighty  un- 
dertaking. All  these  were  given  by  the  Holy  Spirit; 
and  all  these  the  Holy  Spirit  can  still  give  to  the  soldier 
of  Christ  and  the  servant  of  God  for  conflict,  leadership, 
service  in  the  grander  undertakings  of  these  last  days 
when  Christ  is  marshalling  His  hosts  for  the  conflict  of 
the  ages  and  the  coming  of  the  King. 

5.  We  have  yet  one  more  example  of  the  practical 
gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  some  respects  it  is  the  most 
remarkable  and  encouraging  of  all.  We  find  the  record 
in  Exodus  35 :  30-35.  It  is  the  story  of  Bezaleel  and 
Aholiab,  who  were  specially  skilled  as  mechanics  and 


MO  '' 


TOG 


POWER   FROM  ON    HIGH 


,'iitisans  to  prepan*  the  skilk'd  work  for  the  erection  of 
the  tab'Tiiacle  in  the  wilderness.  And  Moses  said  unto 
the  children  of  Israel,  "See,  the  Lord  hath  called  by 
name  Bezaleel  .  .  .  and  hath  hlled  him  with  the  Spirit 
of  God  in  wisdom,  in  understanding,  and  in  knowledge, 
and  in  all  manner  of  workmanship;  and  to  devise  curi- 
ous works,  to  work  in  gold,  and  in  silver,  in  brass,  and 
in  the  cutting  of  stones  to  set  them,  and  in  the  carvinj? 
of  wood,  to  make  any  manner  of  cunning  work.  And 
He  hath  put  in  his  heart  that  he  may  teach,  both  he 
and  Aholiab  .  .  .  Them  hath  He  filled  with  wisdom  of 
heart,  to  work  all  manner  of  work  of  the  engraver,  and 
of  the  cunning  workman,  and  the  embroiderer,  in 
blue,  and  in  purple,  in  scarlet,  and  in  fine  linen,  and  of 
the  weaver,  even  of  them  that  do  any  work,  and  of  those 
that  devise  cunning  work." 

Here  we  have  a  list  of  almost  all  kinds  of  mechanical 
and  artistic  work.  It  is  work  of  the  most  practical  kind 
and  of  the  very  highest  style  of  decorative  art,  the  work 
of  the  jeweler,  the  carver,  the  embroiderer,  the  sculptor. 
All  this  is  the  result  not  of  education,  nor  of  careful 
training,  but  of  direct  divine  inspiration.  Here  were 
people  who  had  come  from  the  brickfields  of  Egypt,  a 
race  of  slaves  without  the  advantages  of  culture,  and 
yet  God  divinely  enabled  them  in  the  hour  of  need,  to 
devise  and  execute  the  most  elaborate  and  ornamental 
designs  for  the  most  perfect  and  beautiful  edifice  which 
ever  was  constructed  by  the  hands  of  man. 

"What  a  lesson  for  the  toiling  artisan,  for  the  hard- 
working Christian,  for  the  man  of  business,  in  the  practi- 
cal affairs  of  our  work-a-day  life.  Here  we  have  the 
divine  Presence  revealed  as  not  only  for  the  pulpit, 
the  prayer  meeting  and  the  closet  of  prayer,  but  just 
as  available  for  the  factory,  for  the  workshop,  for  the 
business  office,  for  the  school-room,  and  even  for  the 
kitchen. 

Here  is  a  Holy  Spirit  who  is  just  as  much  at  home 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  WISDOM 


107 


on  of 

\into 
h\  by 
Spirit 
ledge, 

curi- 
5,  and 
irvinf? 
And 
)th  he 
om  of 
r,  and 
er,  in 
and  of 
£  those 

lanical 
il  kind 
e  work 
ulptor, 
careful 
were 

ypt,  a 

and 
ced,  to 
mental 
which 

hard- 
practi- 
ive  the 
pulpit, 
at  just 
for  the 
or  the 

t  home 


amid  the  toiling  hours  and  heavy  pressures  of  Monday 
and  Saturday,  as  in  the  holy  worship  and  the  r  ligious 
occupations  of  the  Sabbath.  Here  is  u  divine  sulmicncy, 
not  only  for  our  spiritual  experiences  and  our  ivligious 
duties,  so-called,  but  for  everything  that  fills  up  our 
common   life. 

Oh,  how  it  helps  and  comforts  us  in  the  plod  of  life 
to  know  that  we  have  a  Christ  who  spent  the  first  thirty 
years  of  His  life  in  the  carpenter  shop  at  Nazareth, 
swinging  the  hammer,  covered  with  sweat  and  grimy 
dust,  physically  weary  as  we  often  are,  and  able  to  under- 
stand all  our  experienees  of  drudgery  and  labor,  One 
who  still  loves  to  share  our  common  tasks  and  equip 
us  for  our  difficult  luidertakings  of  hand  and  brain! 

Yes,  humble  sister.  He  will  help  you  at  the  washboard 
and  the  kitchen-sink  as  gladly  as  at  the  hour  of  prayer. 
Yes,  busy  mechanic,  He  will  go  with  you  and  help  you 
to  swing  the  hammer,  or  handle  the  saw,  or  hold  the 
plow  in  the  toil  of  life ;  and  you  shall  be  a  better  mechanic, 
a  more  skillful  workman,  and  a  more  successful  man, 
because  you  take  His  wisdom  for  the  common  affairs  of 
life.  The  God  we  serve  is  not  only  the  God  of  the  Sab- 
bath, and  of  the  world  of  sentiment  and  feeling;  but 
He  is  the  God  of  Providence,  the  God  of  Nature,  the 
Author  and  Director  of  the  whole  mechanism  of  human 
life.  There  is  no  place  nor  time  where  He  is  not  al)le 
and  willing  to  walk  by  our  side,  to  work  through  our 
hands  and  brains,  and  to  unite  Himself  in  loving  and 
all-sufficient  partnership  with  all  our  needs  and  tasks 
and  trials,  and  to  prove  our  all-sufficiency  for  all  things. 

Such  then  is  the  Old  Testament  picture  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  as  the  Spirit  of  wisdom  and  of  a  sound  mind. 
In  Joseph  we  see  Him  in  the  trials  of  human  life. 
In  Moses  we  see  Him  qualifying  a  great  leader  for  his 
high  commission,  and  able  to  sustain  him  through  the 
most  trying  emergencies  and  pressures.  In  Joshua  we 
see  Him  able  to  equip  a  mighty  warrior  for  his  conflicts 


■■Hni 


108 


POWER   FROM  ON   IIKJH 


III 


and  campaigns  and  to  crown  his  career  with  splendid 
victory,  and  in  Bezaleel  and  Aholiab  we  st'o  Him  coming 
down  to  the  level  of  our  secular  callings  and  our  com- 
monplace duties,  and  fitting  us  for  all  the  tasks  and 
toils  of  life. 

Blessed  Holy  Spirit — our  Wisdom  and  our  Guide  I 
Let  us  enlarge  the  sphere  of  His  operations,  let  us  take 
Him  into  partnership  in  all  the  length  and  breadth  of 
our  human  life,  and  let  us  prove  to  the  world  that, 

'*We  need  not  bid  ft)r  cloistered  cell, 
Our  neighbor  and  our  work   farewell. 
The  daily  round,  the  common  task, 
Will  furnish  all  we  need  to  ask. 
Room  to  deny  ourselves  a  road 
To  bring  us  daily  more  of  God." 


CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES. 


"But  God  has  cbosen  tho  foolish  things  of  the  world,  to  con- 
found the  wise;  and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the 
world,  to  confound  the  things  whu'h  are  mighty;  and  base  things 
of  the  world,  and  things  which  are  despised,  huth  God  chosen, 
yea,  and  things  which  are  not,  to  bring  to  nought  things  that  are; 
that  no  flesh  should  glory  in  his  presence. — 1.  Cor.  I:  ii7,  28,  29. 

TILE  book  of  Judges  marks  the  deepest  depression 
and  declensiou  in  the  Old  Testament  records,  just 
as  the  book  of  Joshua  which  precedes  it,  marks 
the  most  glorious  triumph  of  Israel's  history.  That 
triiunph  staiids  between  the  story  of  the  wilderness  on 
the  one  side,  with  its  forty  years  of  wandering,  and  the 
story  of  the  Judges  on  the  other,  with  its  four  hundred 
years  of  declension, 

Tlie  dark  cloud  that  followed  the  conquest  of  Canaan 
WHS  far  deeper  and  denser  than  the  one  that  preceded 
it,  and  it  lasted  throiii^'h  four  and  a  haii;  centuries,  until 
the  time  of  the  Reformation  under  Samuel  and  David. 
But  God  loves  to  use  the  darkest  clouds  as  Ilis  back- 
frround  for  the  rainbows  of  His  most  gracious  manifesta- 
tions. The  br!<?htest  exhibitions  of  God's  grace  have 
always  been  ih  the  face  of  the  adversary's  most  fierce 
assaults. 

The  ministry  of  Elijah  came  in  the  dark  hour  of  Jeze- 
bel 's  idolatrous  rule.  The  story  of  Jeremiah  stands  over 
against  the  sorrowful  scenes  of  Judah's  captivity  and 
Jerusalem's  fall;  and  the  book  of  Judges,  with  its  four 
and  a  half  centuries  of  idolatry  and  sin,  have  given  us 
the  beautiful  incidents  of  Othniel  and  Deborah,  Gideon 
and  Barak,  Jephthah  and  Samson. 

Each  of  these  is  an  object  lesson  of  the  grace  and 

109 


t\ 


110 


POWER  FKOM  ON  HIGH 


power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  calling  and  using  His  own 
agents  and  messengers  for  the  great  work  for  which 
He  needs  them. 

I. 

Othniel  represents  the  Spirit  of  courage,  Judges  3: 10: 
**And  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  him,  and  he 
judged  Israel,  and  went  out  to  war:  and  the  Lord  de- 
livered Cushan-rishathaim  king  of  IMesopotamia  into  his 
hand."  Othniel  was  the  first  of  Israel's  judges,  and  by 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  he  conquered  the  mighty 
monarch  of  Mesopotamia,  and  secured  for  his  country 
nearly  half  a  century  of  peace. 

All  this  is  directly  attiibuted  to  the  Spirit.  The  same 
power  that  fitted  Closes  for  his  legislative  work,  and 
prepared  Joshua  for  his  military  career,  called  and  quali- 
fied Othniel  for  his  successful  presidency  over  the  affairs 
of  his  nation,  and  gave  him  the  lion-hearted  courage 
that  enabled  him  to  defy  the  mightiest  potentate  of 
the  world. 

But  as  every  distinguished  career  has  an  earlier  chap- 
ter behind  it,  so  there  was  an  hour  in  the  story  of  Oth- 
niel of  which  all  his  subsequent  career  was  but  the 
sequel.  The  earlier  chapter  is  given  to  us  in  Joshua 
15:16,  17.  It  is  the  little  incident  connected  with  the 
capture  of  one  oi  the  strongholds  cf  Canaan.  After 
Caleb  had  conquered  Hebron,  he  found  an  adjacent  city, 
Kirjath-sepher,  which  was  the  literpry  capital  of  the 
Canaanites.  It  means  **The  City  of  Books."  To  the  brave 
warrior  who  should  conquer  it  he  offered  the  hand  of 
his  fair  daughter  Achsah.  Othniel  was  the  hero  who  ac- 
cepted  the  challenge  and  won  the  double  prize. 

When  we  see  some  public  character  accomplishing 
distinguished  service  before  the  eyes  of  the  world,  and 
leaping  apparently  from  obscurity  to  fame  in  a  moment, 
we  are  apt  to  forget  that  back  of  thi /^^  brilliant  success 
there  lies  some  little  incident  that  happened,  perhaps 


;hap- 
0th- 

the 
)shua 

the 
iter 
city, 

the 
)rave 
id  of 


thing 
and 
lent, 
'cess 

Ihaps 


HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


111 


long  years  before,  but  which  really  struck  the  keynote 
of  that  life,  and  prepared  that  individual  for  the  public 
Bcrvice  which  the  future  held  in  store. 

God  is  always  preparing  His  workers  in  advance ;  and 
when  the  hour  is  ripe  He  brings  them  upon  the  stage, 
and  men  look  with  wonder  upon  a  career  of  startling 
triumph,  which  God  has  been  preparing  for  a  lifetime. 
That  was  a  wonderful  day  in  Israel,  when,  in  a  moment, 
the  chambers  of  the  dead  heard  the  voice  of  God,  and 
the  first  human  spirit  came  back  from  the  world  beyond 
to  the  tenement  of  clay,  and  her  living  son  was  placed 
in  the  arms  of  a  Hebrew  mother  at  the  word  of  the 
prophet  Elijah. 

But  if  we  look  back  a  few  years,  we  find  the  key  to 
all  this  in  a  little  incident  that  happened  one  day  in 
that  Hebrew  home.  The  old  prophet  was  passing  by 
when  he  met  that  mother  and  asked  of  her  a  mighty 
f^acrifice,  even  that  she  should  take  the  last  morsel  in 
her  famine-stricken  home,  prepare  it  for  him,  and  leave 
her  child  to  die  of  want  along  with  herself.  But  she 
shrank  not  from  the  test.  Without  a  moment's  hesita- 
tion she  obeyed  the  prophet's  command,  and  from  that 
hour  she  and  her  little  son  lived  in  that  home  on  the 
bread  of  heaven.  When  the  test  came  that  required 
a  faith  that  would  bring  back  her  child  even  from  the 
dead,  she  was  ready  for  the  hour. 

God  is  preparing  His  heroes  still,  so  that  when  the 
opportunity  comes  He  can  fit  them  into  their  places  i)i 
a  moment  while  the  world  wonders  where  they  came 
from.  Let  the  Holy  Ghost  prepare  you,  dear  friend,  by 
all  the  discipline  of  life,  that  when  the  last  finishing 
touch  has  been  given  to  the  marble,,  it  will  be  easy  tor 
God  to  put  it  on  the  pedestal,  and  fit  it  into  the  niche. 

There  is  a  aay  coming  when,  like  Othniel.  we,  too, 
shall  judge  the  nations,  and  rule  and  reign  with  Oarist 
on  the  millennial  earth.  But  ere  that  glorious  day  can 
be,  we  must  let  God  prepare  us  as  He  did  Othniel  at 


^mmmmmmmm 


112 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


Kirjath-sepher,  amid  the  trials  of  our  present  life,  and  in 
the  daiiy  victories,  the  significance  of  which,  perhaps, 
we  little  dream.  At  least,  let  us  be  sure  of  this,  that 
if  the  Holy  Ghost  has  got  an  Othniel  ready,  the  Lord 
of  heaven  and  earth  has  a  throne  prepared  for  him. 

n. 

Deborah  shows  forth  the  ministry  of  woman.  Judges 
4.  Deborah  is  the  first  example  of  a  woman  called  to 
public  service  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  True,  Miriam  had 
already  been  known  as  the  leader  of  sacred  song  in 
Israel,  but  this  was  the  first  time  that  a  woman  had  been 
called  to  exercise  the  public  functions  of  a  leader. 

What  a  glorious  multitude  of  noble  women  have  fol- 
lov/ed  m  her  train !  The  great  ministry  of  the  Church 
today  is  being  done  by  holy  women.  It  is  less  than 
half  a  century  since  women  began  to  go  to  the  foreign 
mission  field,  and  already  more  that  half  the  foreign 
missionaries  in  the  world  are  women.  They  are  the  most 
potent  spiritual  and  moral  force.^  of  our  age. 

Deborah's  name  means  "a  be<^,"  and  her  little  beehive 
under  the  palm  tree  of  Mount  Ephraim  has  swarmed 
and  spread  over  all  ages  and  lands  until  the  hearts  of 
millions  have  tasted  of  the  honey,  and  every  form  of 
evil  has  felt  the  wholesome  sting;  but  Deborah,  like 
every  true  woman,  had  a  good  deal  more  honey  than 
sting.  It  is  too  late  in  the  day  to  question  the  public 
ministry  of  woman.  The  facts  of  God's  providence,  and 
the  fruits  of  God's  Spirit,  are  stronger  than  all  our  theo- 
logical fancies. 

The  Holy  Spirit  has  distinctly  recognized  woman's 
place  in  the  Church,  not  only  to  love,  to  suffer,  and  to 
intercede,  but  to  prophesy,  to  teach,  and  to  minister 
in  every  proper  way  to  the  bodies  and  the  souls  of  men. 
And  yet,  when  we  have  said  this,  all  this,  there  yet  re- 
mains a  restriction  which  every  true  woman  will  be 
willing  to  recognize. 


HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


113 


There  is  a  difference  between  the  ministry  of  woman 
and  of  man.  God  Himself  has  said  that  the  head  of 
every  woman  is  the  man,  and  the  head  of  every  man 
is  Christ,  and  the  head  of  Christ  is  God.  "I  suffer  not 
a  woman  to  teach,  nor  to  usurp  authority  over  the  man." 
After  all  that  can  be  said  on  both  sides  of  this  question, 
it  seems  to  remain,  as  the  practical  conclusion  of  the 
whole  matter,  that  woman  is  called  without  restriction 
to  teach,  to  witness,  to  work  in  e^^ory  department  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  but  she  is  not  called  to  rule  in  the 
ecclesiastical  government  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  or  to 
exercise  the  official  ministry  which  the  Holy  Ghost  has 
committed  to  the  elders  or  bishops  of  His  Church;  and 
whenever  she  steps  out  of  her  modest  s])here  into  the 
place  of  public  leadership  and  executive  government, 
she  weakens  her  true  power  and  loses  her  peculiar  charm. 

Deborah  herself,  the  first  public  woman  of  the  ages, 
was  wise  enough  to  call  Barak  to  stand  in  the  front, 
while  she  stood  behind  him,  modestly  directing  his  work, 
and  proving  in  the  end  to  be  the  true  leader.  It  is  no 
disparagement  of  woman's  ministry'  to  place  her  there. 
Who  will  say  that  the  ministry  of  Aloses  as  he  stood 
that  day  on  the  mountain,  with  his  hands  uplifted  to 
God,  while  Joshua  led  the  hosts  in  the  plain  below, 
was  a  lower  ministry  than  that  of  Joshua?  He  was 
the  true  leader  and  the  real  power  behind  the  hosts 
of  Israel,  although  he  was  unseen  by  the  eyes  of  men. 
This  was  Deborah's  high  honor,  and  no  one  was  more 
ready  than  Barak  himself  to  acknowledge  her  pre-emi- 
nence. 

May  God  more  and  more  mightily  direct  and  use  the 
high  and  holy  ministry  of  woman,  in  these  last  days, 
for  the  preparation  of  her  Master's  coming! 

m. 

Gideon,  or  the  Holy  Ghost,  used  the  weak  things  of 
the  world  to  confound  the  mighty.    There  is  something 


114 


POWER   FROM  ON    HIGH 


n 


dramatic  and  almost  ludicrous  in  the  calling  of  Gideon. 
When  hiding  behind  his  barn  for  fear  of  the  Midiauites, 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to  him  and  called,  "The 
Lord  is  with  thee,  thou  mighty  man  of  valor."  Gideon 
was  taken  by  surprise  with  the  strange  greeting,  and 
seems  himself  to  have  felt  as  if  the  angel  were  laughing 
at  him,  for  he  was  anything  but  a  mighty  man  of  valor ; 
indeed,  at  that  very  moment,  he  was  hiding  from  his 
enemies  in  abject  fear. 

His  answer  to  the  angel  seems  to  express  this  feeling, 
but  God  meets  him  with  the  reassuring  word,  "Go,  in 
this  thy  might,  and  thou  shalt  deliver  Israel  from  the 
Midianites."  The  new  might  which  God  had  pledged 
him  was  His  ov/n  great  might,  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Accordingly  every  step  of  his  way  from  that 
hour  was  but  an  illustration  of  the  principle  of  our 
text,  "that  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  this 
world  to  confound  the  things  that  are  mighty." 

Next,  we  see  the  same  principle  in  Gideon's  workers. 
God  could  not  use  the  great  army  that  gathered  to  his 
standard.  They  were  too  many  to  afford  an  opportunity 
for  God  to  work  and,  therefore.  He  had  to  sift  them, 
and  then  resift  them,  until  from  over  thirty  thousand 
they  were  reduced  to  only  three  hundred. 

It  is  beautiful  to  notice  how  the  Holy  Spirit  sifted 
them.  He  allowed  them  to  do  it  themselves,  by  a  natural 
process  of  reduction.  First,  all  the  timid  ones  were  al- 
lowed to  go  home,  ana  this  thinned  out  two-thirds  of 
the  crowd.  Next,  all  the  rash  and  reckless  ones  were 
tested  by  giving  them  the  opportunity  of  drinking  at 
the  brook  that  lay  across  their  line  of  march;  and,  as 
Gideon  watched,  it  was  not  difficult  to  find  out,  by  the 
way  they  drank,  the  character  of  the  men. 

The  reckless  ones  just  got  down  on  their  hands  and 
knees  and  drank,  without  even  stopping  to  think  of 
their  danger  or  their  enemies.  The  prudent  ones,  on 
the  contrary,  looked  carefully  around,  and  keeping  guard 


HOLY  SPTT^TT  IN  THK  BOOK  OF  .niDdKS 


115 


against  a  surprise  from  thoir  foos,  drank  with  prudont 
care,  dipping  up  the  water  with  their  hands,  and  looking 
carefully  around  with  their  watchful  eyes;  thus  were 
the  wary  ones  chosen,  and  the  others  dismissed. 

God  wants  not  only  brave  men,  but  prudent  men,  for 
Ilis  work  and  warfare;  and  every  day  we  live  we  are 
passing  judgment  on  ourselves,  and  electing  ourselves 
either  to  places  of  honor  and  service,  or  to  be  left  at 
home,  because  of  our  unfitness.  God  wants  fit  men  for 
His  work,  and  lie  lets  every  man  prove  his  fitness  or 
unfitness  by  the  practical  tests  of  his  daily  life.  We  little 
dream,  sometimes,  what  a  hasty  word,  a  thoughtless 
speech,  an  imprudent  act,  or  a  confession  of  ujibelief 
may  do  to  hinder  our  highest  usefulness,  or  to  turn  it 
aside  from  some  great  opportunity  which  God  was  pre- 
paring for  us. 

Although  the  Holy  Ghost  uses  weak  men,  He  does  not 
want  them  to  be  weak  after  He  chooses  and  calls  them. 
Although  He  uses  the  foolish  things  to  confound  the 
wise,  He  does  not  want  us  to  be  foolish  after  He  comes 
to  give  us  His  wisdom  and  grace.  He  uses  the  foolish- 
ness of  preaching,  but  not,  necessarily,  the  foolishness 
of  preachers.  Like  the  electric  current,  which  can  sup- 
ply the  strength  of  a  thousand  men,  it  is  necessary  that 
it  should  have  a  proper  conductor,  and  a  very  small 
wire  is  better  than  a  very  big  rope. 

God  wants  fit  instruments  for  His  power,  wills  sur- 
rendered, hearts  trusting,  lives  consistent,  and  lips 
obedient  to  His  will;  and  then  He  can  use  the  weakest 
weapons,  and  make  them  "mighty  through  God  to  the 
pulling  down  of  strongholds." 

Again,  we  see  the  Holy  Spirit  using  the  weak  things 
of  this  world  in  the  weapons  of  Gideon 's  warfare.  They 
were  very  simple — lamps,  pitchers  and  trumpets.  That 
was  all.  The  lamps,  or  torches,  were  expressive  of  the 
light  and  fire  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  the  pitchers  suggested 
the  broken  vessels  of  our  surrendered  bodies  and  lives; 


116 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


and  the  trumpets  signified  the  Word  of  God  and  the 
message  oi'  the  Gospel  that  we  are  sent  to  proclaim. 
These  are  sufficient  to  defeat  and  destroy  the  hosts  of 
Midian;  and  these  are  the  weapons  of  our  warfare, 
which  are  still  mighty  through  God  to  the  pulling  down 
of  strongholds. 

A  single  officer  of  the  court,  with  the  proclamation 
of  the  president  behind  him,  is  stronger  than  a  mob 
of  a  thousand  men;  and  the  humblest  servant  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  armed  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  the 
Word  of  God,  stands  with  the  whole  power  of  heaven 
behind  him.  I\Ien  reject  His  message  at  their  peril ;  for 
Christ  has  said,  "He  that  receiveth  you  receiveth  me, 
and  he  that  rejecteth  you  rejecteth  me." 

The  true  secret  of  all  i)ower  with  God  and  mc-i  is 
to  stand  behind  our  message  and  our  Master,  and,  like 
Gideon's  pitchers,  to  be  so  broken  ourselves,  that  the 
light  of  our  heavenly  torches  can  flash  through  the 
broken  vessels  through  which  the  message  comes. 

IV. 

Jephthah,  or  the  Holy  Spirit,  used  "the  things  that 
are  despised." 

Jephthah,  through  no  fault  of  his  own,  was  the  child 
of  dishonor.  He  had  the  bar  sinister  on  his  breast,  and 
was  an  outlaw  from  his  father's  house.  But  God  loves 
to  use  the  things  that  man  highly  esteems.  The  stone 
which  the  builders  disallowed  has  often  become  the  head 
of  the  corner.  It  was  Isaac,  not  Ishmael,  the  first-born ; 
it  was  Jacob,  and  not  Esau,  the  father's  favorite;  it 
was  Joseph,  the  persecuted,  wronged  and  outcast  son; 
it  was  Moses,  the  son  of  a  race  of  slaves,  and  the  found- 
ling child  of  the  Nile;  it  was  David,  the  shepherd  lad 
of  Bethlehem,  and  the  despised  one  of  Jesse's  house; 
these  were  they  whom  God  chose  for  the  high  place  f  t 
each  received  in  the  story  of  His  chosen  people.  Ace:  ^- 
ingly  the  outcast  and  the  outlaw  of  Gilead,  poor  Jeph- 


HOLY  SPTRIT  IN  THE  HOOK  OF  JUTXJES 


117 


I  child 

it,  and 

loves 

stone 

head 

born ; 

e ;    it 

son; 

bund- 

d  lad 

lOUse ; 

e  f    t 

cc:    .- 

Jeph- 


thah,  was  clioson  of  the  Lord  to  deliver  his  people  I'rom 
the  Ammonites. 

Th€  call  of  Jephthah  is  expressly  ascribed  to  the  Holy 
Spirit.  "Then  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  Jeph- 
thah, and  he  passed  over  .  .  .  unto  the  children  of  Am- 
mon  .  .  and  the  Lord  delivered  them  into  his  hand ' ' — 
11:29. 

The  Lord  still  is  using  the  things  that  are  despised. 
The  very  names  of  Nazarene  and  Christian  were  once 
epithets  of  contempt.  No  man  can  have  God's  highest 
thought  and  be  popular  with  his  immediate  generation. 
The  most  abused  men  are  often  the  most  used.  The 
devil's  growl  and  the  world's  sneer  are  God's  marks  of 
highest  honor.  There  is  no  need  that  we  should  bring 
upon  ourselves  by  folly  or  wrong  the  reproaches  of 
men ;  but  if  we  do  well,  and  suffer  for  it,  fear  not,  but 
**let  Shimei  curse,  the  Lord  will  requite  us  good  for 
his  cursing  this  day." 

There  are  far  greater  calamities  than  to  be  unpopular 
and  misunderstood.  There  are  far  worse  things  than  to 
be  found  in  the  minority.  Many  of  God's  greatest  bless- 
ings are  lyine'  I>ehind  the  devil's  scarecrows  of  prejudice 
and  misrepresentation.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  not  ashamed 
to  use  unpopular  people.  And  if  He  uses  them,  what 
need  they  care  for  men? 

There  was  once  a  captain  in  the  British  army,  pro- 
moted for  merit,  but  despised  by  his  aristocratic  com- 
panions. One  day  the  colonel  found  it  out,  and  deter- 
mined to  stop  it.  So  he  quietly  called  on  the  young 
officer,  and  walked  arm  and  arm  with  him  up  and  down 
the  parade  ground,  the  captains  meanwhile  being  obliged 
to  salute  both  him  and  his  companion  every  time  they 
passed.  That  settled  the  new  captain's  standing.  After 
that  there  were  no  cuts  nor  sneers.  It  was  enough  that 
the  commanding  officer  had  walked  by  his  side. 

Oh,  let  us  but  have  His  recognition  and  man's  notice 
will  count  for  little,  and  He  will  give  us  all  we  need  of 


t 


n 
I 


mmm 


118 


POWER   FROM   ON  niGII 


human  help  and  praiso.  Lot  us  make  no  compromise 
to  please  men.  li^t  ns  only  seek  His  will,  His  glory, 
His  approval.  Let  us  go  for  Him  oti  the  hardest  errands 
and  do  the  most  menial  tasks.  Honor  enough  that  He 
uses  us  and  sends  us.  Let  us  not  fear  in  this  day  to 
follow  Him  outside  the  earap,  bearing  His  reproach,  and 
bye-and-bye  He  will  own  our  worthless  name  before 
the   myriads  of  earth   and  sky. 

V. 

Samson  in  whom  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  source  of 
physical    strength. 

There  is  no  more  remarkable  figure  in  the  Bible  than 
the  sturdy  giant  of  Timnath-serah,  who  represented  in 
his  own  body,  as  no  other  man  has  ever  done,  the  con- 
nection between  physical  strength  and  the  presence  and 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  strength  of  Samson  was 
not  the  result  of  physical  culture  and  unusual  size  and 
vigor  of  bone,  muscle,  or  members,  but  was  entirely 
due  to  the  presence  and  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  dwell- 
ing in  him  and  working  through  him.  The  secret  of 
his  great  sti-ength  is  given  very  simply  and  plainly  in 
such  passages  as  these:  Judges  13:25;  14:6,  19;  15: 
14. 

In  all  these  cases  it  will  be  noticed  that  it  was  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  that  moved  upon  Samson  and  gave 
him  his  superhuman  strength  of  body.  It  was  not  the 
strengtli  of  muscle  or  frame  which  comes  from  food  or 
stimulants ;  but  it  was  the  direct  power  of  God  Himself 
working  through  his  being.  This  was  connected  entirely 
with  his  separation  to  God  and  his  obedience  to  his 
Nazarite  vow.  The  strength  of  Samson,  therefore,  was 
divine  strength  given  through  spiritual  conditions  and 
entirely  dependent  upon  his  righteousness  of  life  and 
obedience  to  God. 

This  is  the  very  principle  of  divine  healing,  as  God 
is  teaching  it  to  us  in  these  last  days.    It  is  not  the  self- 


HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


119 


constituted  strength  of  physical  organism;  but  it  is 
the  supernatural  force  of  a  divine  presence,  filling  our 
frame  and  quickening  our  vital  system  when  we  are 
wholly  separated  from  earthly  and  forbidden  things  and 
living  in  touch  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  may  be  enjoyed 
even  in  th^"  fullest  measure  by  a  feeble  constitution  and 
a  man  or  womar  naturally  frail.  It  is  not  our  life, 
LUt  i  0  life  of  Jesus  manifested  in  our  mortal  flesh. 
It  is  a  very  sacred  life,  for  it  keeps  us  constantly  sep- 
arated from  the  world  and  unto  God,  and  is  a  wholesome 
check  upon  the  purity  and  obedience  of  our  lives. 

Samson  lost  his  strength  the  moment  he  touched  the 
forbidden  world  and  the  lap  of  Delilah.  For  us,  too, 
the  secret  of  strength  is  this:  **If  thou  wilt  diligent^} 
hearken  to  the  voice  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  wilt  do 
that  which  is  right  in  his  sight,  and  wilt  give  ear  to  his 
commandments,  and  keep  all  his  statutes,  I  will  put 
none  of  these  diseases  upon  thee,  which  I  have  brought 
upon  the  Egyptians:  for  I  am  the  Lord  that  healeth 
thee."  This  is  the  blessed  ministry  of  the  Holy  Ghost; 
first,  to  give  us  this  practical  righteousness  and  keep 
us  in  the  perfect  will  of  God,  and  then  to  give  us  the 
physical  life  and  quickening  promised  in  connection  with 
obedience.  His  own  promise  is,  "If  the  Spirit  of  Him 
which  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead  dwell  in  you,  He 
that  raised  up  Christ  from  the  dead  shall  also  quicken 
your  mortal  body  by  His  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  you." 

Such,  then,  is  the  blessed  fullness  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
as  unfolded  in  this  ancient  book  of  Judges.  How  much 
more  rich  and  full  the  grace  we  may  expect  from  Him 
today ! 

Shall  we  take  Him  with  Othniel  as  the  Spirit  of  cour- 
age; with  Deborah,  for  woman's  high  and  glorious  min- 
istry ;  with  Gideon  and  Jepthah,  to  use  the  weak  things 
of  this  world  to  confound  the  mighty,  and  the  things 
which  are  despised,  yea,  and  the  things  which  are  not, 


V20 


POWER   FROM   ON    HTOTI 


to  bring  to  uauglit  tlio  things  vvliicli  are;  and  shall  we, 
like  Samson,  "out  of  weakness  be  made  strong,  wax 
valiant  in  fight  and  turn  to  flight  the  armies  of  the 
aliens"? 


CIIAPTEK  X. 


A  SPIRIT-FILLED  MAN. 


"But  there  is  a  spirit  in  man:  and  the  inspiration  of  the 
Almighty  giveth  thenj  undorsjaiulin^. " — .lob  '^2:  8. 

"The  Spirit  of  God  hath  made  me,  and  the  breath  of  \ho 
Almighty  hath   given   mo   life. ' ' — Job   33 :  4. 


THE  book  of  Jol)  is  rhc  oldest  poem  in  the  world. 
It  has  come  down  to  us  from  a  period  somewhere 
between  the  time  of  Abraham  and  Joshua.  It  is 
a  profoundly  interestinjjj  drama.  unfoldin<r  some  of  the 
most  importa!it  principles  of  the  divine  government,  and 
revealing  God's  personal  dealings  with  His  people 
through  the  Holy  Spirit. 

First,  Job  himself  a])pears  upon  the  scene  as  the  type 
of  a  high  and  noble  character,  a  man  of  perf(»et  upright- 
ness, one  who  represents  the  very  highest  ideal  of  hu- 
man character. 

Next,  we  see  God  testing  this  man,  revealing  to  him 
the  depths  of  self  and  sin  which  lie  r>r»ncealed  in  vvery 
human  soul,  until,  at  length,  Job  appears  imder  the 
searchlight  of  the  Holy  Ghost  a  pitiful  spectacle,  not 
only  of  disease  and  suffering,  but  of  self-righteousness, 
self-vindication,  and  rebellion  against  God  Himself. 

One  by  one  various  characters  appear  upon  the  scene, 
representing  the  wisdom  and  comfort  and  friendship 
of  the  world — in  fact,  all  that  the  world  can  do  to  help 
us  in  our  trouble.  We  have  Bildad  and  Eliphaz  and 
Zophar  representing,  perhaps,  the  wisdom,  the  wealth, 
and  the  pleasure  of  the  w^orld,  but  all  failing  to  bring 
to  Job  the  comfort,  the  instruction,  and  the  discipline 
that  he  needs. 

Finally,  Elihu  appears  upon  the  stage;  and,  for  the 
first  time,  he  brings  the  message  and  the  help  of  God. 

121 


•CI" 


122 


POWKR    I'HO'      ON    nTGII 


His  very  name  signifies  God  Hiraself,  and  his  words  are 
in  keeping  with  the  source  from  which  his  message 
comes. 

Let  us  look  at  him  as  one  of  the  old(!st  examples  of  the 
indwelling,  iuworking,  and  outflowing  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

First,  we  have  the  man.  Secondly,  we  will  consider 
his  message.  And  then  we  will  notice  the  effect  of  his 
message  in  its  influence  upon  Job,  the  object  of  attention 
in  the  whole  drama  of  this  wonderful  book. 

First,  he  tells  us  himself  that  he  was  a  young  man. 
**I  am  young,"  he  says,  "and  ye  are  very  old;  where- 
fore I  was  afraid,  and  durst  not  shew  you  my  opinion." 
God  can  speak  to  and  through  even  the;  youngest  of  His 
disciples.  But  notice  the  modesty  of  Elihu.  He  was 
sensitive,  shrinking,  and  full  of  that  modest  diffidence 
which  is  always  the  criterion  of  true  worth.  The  more 
God  uses  us,  the  more  should  we  shrink  out  of  self -con- 
sciousness and  human  observation.  Then,  we  see  not 
only  his  modesty,  but  his  respect  for  others  and  his 
beautiful  disi)osition  to  wait  and  to  show  the  utmost 
deference  to  those  who  are  naturally  his  superiors. 

There  is  no  reason  why  we  should  thrust  ourselves 
forward  because  we  have  the  Holy  Spirit  and  are 
trusted  with  His  messages.  The  Spirit-filled  man  will 
always  be  filled  vnth  deference  and  consideration  for 
others.  In  speaking  to  the  New  Testament  assemblies, 
the  apostle  tells  them  particularly  to  guard  against  this 
very  thing,  for  He  says,  "The  spirits  of  the  prophets 
are  subject  to  the  prophets.'*  When  God  gives  us  a 
message  He  can  afford  to  have  us  wait.  So  Elihu  waited 
till  the  others  were  through,  and  then  he  spoke  with 
effect. 

But  while  Elihu  is  respectful  and  modest,  he  is  at 
the  same  time  perfectly  independent  of  the  opinions  of 
people,  and  is  bold  and  fearless  in  obeying  the  voice  of 
God,  which  he  has  heard  in  the  depths  of  his  own  soul. 

Let  me  not,  I  pray  you,  accept  any  man's  person*, 


t( 


A  SPIRIT- KILLED  MAN 


123 


neither  let  me  give  flattering  titles  unto  man.  For  I 
know  not  to  give  flattering  titles;  in  so  doing  my 
Maker  would  soon  take  rac  away."  And  so  the  Spirit- 
filled  man  is  free  from  all  men.  He  does  not  try  to 
copy  any  man,  but  listens  directly  to  the  voice  of  God 
through  His  Word  and  II is  Spirit.  So  many  of  us  are 
parrots,  catching  the  opinion  and  the  ideas  of  others. 
God  wants  individual  characters  and  individual  mes- 
sages, and  every  one  of  us  to  be  himself  filled  and  taught 
of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

We  see  in  Elihu  a  man  so  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
that  he  cannot  keep  back  his  words.  He  says,  "The 
Spirit  within  me  constraincth  me.  Behold,  my  belly 
is  as  wine  which  hath  no  vent;  it  is  ready  to  burst  like 
new  bottles."  This  is  the  way  the  apostle  felt,  "We 
cannot  but  speak  the  things  which  we  have  seen  and 
heard."  We  need  this  volcanic  power  to  give  force 
and  propelling  power  to  the  message  with  which  God 
trusts  us. 

Again,  we  see  in  Elihu  a  man  supremely  anxious  to 
glorify  God,  and  grieved  because  Job's  friends  have 
not  answered  his  questions  and  vindicated  God.  llis 
one  desire  is  to  glorify  his  Maker  and  his  Master.  Such 
a  man  always  will  be  taught  and  used  of  His  Master. 
The  Holy  Spirit  is  waiting  for  such  men  and  women. 


n. 


THE  MESSAGE  OP  ELIHU. 

It  is  a  very  wonderful  message.  It  unfolds  the  deepest 
principles  of  God's  moral  government,  and  rises  to  the 
loftiest  height  of  inspired  eloquence.  There  is  no  pro- 
founder  discussion  of  God's  dealings  with  His  chil- 
dren. God  is  always  speaking  to  His  people.  "God 
speaketh  once,  yea,  twice,  yet  man  perceiveth  it  not," 
is  heedless,  or  blind  and  deaf,  failing  therefore,  to  un- 
derstand his  Father's  voice.     Then  God  has  to  speak 


12-1 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


i 


if    ! 


again  through  sickness  and  physical  suffering;  and  so 
we  have  the  picture  in  the  thirty-third  chapter,  from 
the  nineteenth  to  the  twenty-socoud  verses. 

It  is  the  picture  of  a  poor  sufferer  chastened  with  pain, 
sinking  day  by  day  into  emaciation  and  exhaustion, 
until  he  is  ready  to  drop  into  the  grave.  This,  however, 
is  not  God's  last  voicv;  there  is  another  message,  but 
oh,  how  rarely  and  how  seldom  the  true  messenger  is 
found !  *  *  One  among  a  thousand. ' '  What  a  blessed  mes- 
sage He  brings !  He  shows  man  His  uprightness,  the  lov- 
ing kindness  of  His  chastening,  leading  him  to  repent- 
ance, and  then  He  unfolds  the  blessed  message  of  the 
great  atonement,  and  cries,  "Deliver  him  from  going 
down  to  the  pit ;  I  have  found  a  ransom. ' '  What  is  the 
effect  of  this?  *'His  flesh  shall  be  fresher  than  a  child's; 
he  shall  return  to  the  days  of  his  youth." 

This  is  the  blessed  Gospel  of  the  Atonement — atone- 
ment for  sickness  as  well  as  sin;  this  is  the  blessed  Gos- 
pel of  Healing — healing  for  body  as  well  as  soul.  It 
was  God's  ancient  thought,  and  it  is  still  unchanged — 
His  will  for  all  who  will  simply  believe  and  receive. 

This  is  God's  uniform  principle  of  dealing  with  His 
children.  ''These  things  worketh  God  oftentimes  with 
man,  to  bring  back  his  soul  from  the  pit,  to  be  enlight- 
ened with  the  light  of  the  living."  God's  chastenings 
are  not  the  zigzag  lightnings  of  the  sky,  that  strike  we 
know  not  where  or  when,  but  the  intelligent,  inti-lligible, 
loving  dealings  of  a  Father,  who  will  let  us  understjvnd 
why  He  afflicts  us.  He  Himself  has  told  us  in  the  New 
Testament,  "If  we  would  judge  ourselves,  we  should  not 
be  judged.  But  when  we  are  judged,  we  are  chastened 
of  the  Lord,  that  we  should  not  be  condemned  with  the 
world."  This  is  God's  object  in  dealing  with  His  chil- 
dren, to  bring  them  out  of  some  position  that  is  wrong 
into  His  higher  will;  and  as  soon  as  we  learn  our  les- 
son. He  is  glad  to  remove  the  pressure,  and  to  bring  us 
into  the  full  manifestation  of  His  favor  and  blessing  for 


A  SPIRIT- FILLED  xMAN 


125 


both  soul  and  body.  Can  we  find  anywhere  a  wiser, 
broader,  truer  unfolding  of  God's  gracious  providence 
and  His  loving,  faithful  dealings  with  His  children 
than  in  the  old  message  of  Elihu,  more  than  three  thou- 
sand years  ago. 

Then  He  passes  on  to  a  more  sublime  discourse,  in 
which  He  sweeps  the  whole  circle  ^f  the  heavens  and 
the  whole  field  of  nature  and  unfolds  the  glory  and 
majesty  of  God  in  all  His  works.  At  length,  as  He 
reaches  His  loftiest  height,  God  interrupts  Him,  and 
closes  His  sublime  oration  with  a  yet  grander  perora- 
tion, as?  He  speaks  through  the  whirlwind  to  Job  with  a 
voice  that  he  can  no  longer  answer  nor  gainsay. 


III. 

THE  EFFECT  OF  THE  MESSAGE. 

This  brings  us  to  the  effect  of  the  message  upon  Jol) 
himself.  This  is  the  great  central  thought  of  the  whole 
book  and  the  entire  drama. 

Job  meets  us  as  the  central  figure  and  the  type  of  our- 
selves. He  represents  man  at  his  best,  just  as  Elihu 
at  the  close  represents  mjin  at  God's  besit. 

We  see  in  Jol)  an  upright  man.  the  best  man  of  his 
time,  the  best  that  man  can  be  by  the  help  of  divine 
grace,  until  he  dies  to  himself  altogether  and  enters  into 
union  with  God  Himself. 

The  first  picture  of  Job  is  a  favorable  one,  both  to 
himself  nnd  to  everybody  else.  He  seems  to  be  all  right, 
until  God  brings  the  searchlight  and  the  surgical  probe 
to  bear  upon  him,  when,  like  everything  else  that  is  hu- 
man, he  breaks  conipictely  down,  and  shows  himself  in 
all  the  weakness  and  worthlessness  of  our  lost  humanity. 
The  woi-st  thing  that  we  find  in  Job  is  Job  himself. 
God  was  not  trying  to  convin<*e  him  of  any  glaring  sin. 
hut  of  his  self-sufficiency,  self-righteousness,  and  sHf-eon- 
fidence.     The  thing  that  we  have  to  deny  is  self.     The 


/ 


'*5::' 


126 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


hardest  thing  to  see  and  to  crucify  is  our  own  self-con- 
fidence and  self-will ;  and  we  have  to  pass  through  many 
a  painful  incident  and  many  a  humiliating  failure  be- 
fore we  find  it  out  and  fully  recognize  it. 

Accordingly  we  find  Job,  under  the  divine  searchlight, 
signally  failing,  revealing  his  unbelief,  vindicating  him- 
self, and  even  blaming  God  for  unjustly  afflicting  him. 
One  by  one  his  various  friends  appear  upon  the  scene 
representing  the  wisdom,  wealth,  and  pleasure  of  the 
world;  but  Job  sees  through  the  fallacy  of  all  their 
arguments,  and  refuses  their  messages,  until,  at  length. 
Elihu  comes  with  the  inspired  messpge  of  God.  God 
follows  it  by  directly  revealing  Himself  to  Job,  and 
speaking  from  the  whirlwind  with  a  voice  that  he  can 
no  longer  resist. 

Job  in  the  light  of  God  at  length  wakes  up  to  his 
own  worthlessness  and  nothingness,  and  falling  silent 
at  Jehovah's  feet,  he  cries,  "I  have  heard  of  Thee  by 
the  hearing  of  the  ear:  but  now  mine  eye  seeth  thee. 
"Wherefore  I  abhor  myself,  and  repent  in  dust  and 
a.shes."  This  is,  at  last,  the  death  of  self;  and  now 
God  is  ready  to  pick  up  His  servant,  to  forgive  his 
errors  and  faults,  and  even  to  vindicate  him  in  the 
face  of  his  friends. 

Then,  for  the  first  time,  we  hear  God  approving  Job 
and  saying  to  his  unwise  friends,  "Ye  have  not  spoken 
of  me  the  thing  which  is  right,  as  my  servant  Job  hath. ' ' 
What  was  the  thing  which  Job  had  spoken  of  Him 
that  was  right?  It  was  his  language  of  self-condemna- 
tion, humiliation,  renunciation.  Job  had  now  ended 
and  God  was  ready  to  begin.  God  immediately  responds 
to  him  not  only  with  His  favor  and  blessing,  but  with 
all  the  prosperity  and  blessing  which  he  had  lost;  and 
Job  rises  to  a  new  place  in  every  way. 

This  is  the  resurrection  life  unfolded  in  the  ancient 
type.  This  is  the  resurrection  life  into  which  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  waiting  to  bring  all  who  are  willing,  like  Job. 


A  SPIRIT-FILLED  MAN 


127 


to  die  to  the  life  of  self.  God  was  not  looking  in  Job 
for  any  open  sin  or  flagrant  wrong ;  but  He  was  search- 
ing for  the  subtle  self-life  which  lies  concealed  behind 
a  thousand  disguises  in  us  all,  and  which  is  so  slow 
and  so  unwilling  to  die. 

God  has  often  to  bring  us  not  only  into  the  place  of 
suffering,  and  to  the  bed  of  sickness  and  pain,  but  also 
into  the  place  where  our  righteousness  breaks  down,  and 
our  character  falls  to  pieces,  in  order  to  humble  us  in 
the  dust  and  to  show  us  the  need  of  entire  crucifixion 
to  all  our  natural  life.  Then,  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  we 
are  ready  to  receive  Him,  to  abide  in  Him,  to  depend 
upon  Him  alone,  and  to  draw  all  our  life  and  strength 
each  moment  from  Him,  our  Living  Head. 

It  was  thus  that  Peter  was  saved  by  his  very  fall. 
He  had  to  die  to  Peter  that  he  might  live  more  perfectly 
to  Christ. 

Have  we  thus  died,  and  have  we  thus  renounced  the 
strength  of  our  own  self-confidence?  Happy,  indeed, 
are  we  if  this  be  so;  for  we  shall  have  Christ  and  all 
His  resources  of  strength.  Then  He  can  afford  to  give 
to  us,  as  he  did  to  Job,  all  the  riches  of  His  goodness  and 
all  the  gifts  of  His  providence  that  we  need  in  our  secu- 
lar and  temporal  life. 

We  begin  life  with  the  natural,  next  we  come  into 
the  spiritual;  then,  when  we  have  truly  received  the 
Kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness,  the  natural 
is  added  to  the  spiritual,  and  we  are  able  to  receive  the 
gifts  of  His  providence  and  the  blessings  of  life  with- 
out becoming  centred  in  them  or  allowing  them  to  sep- 
arate us  from  Him. 

This  is  the  sweet  lesson  of  the  life  of  Job.  This  is 
the  bright  and  happy  sequel  to  all  his  sorrow.  This  is 
the  ripening  of  the  seed  of  death  and  pain.  This  is  the 
blessed  fruition  of  all  his  affliction.  This  is  but  a  little 
type  of  that  richer  resurrection  life  which  the  New 
Testament  reveals. 


•UK;:; 


128 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


The  blessed  Holy  Spirit  is  waiting  to  lead  us  all 
into  the  path  of  life  through  the  gates  of  death.  Some 
one  tells  of  a  gentleman  who  called  upon  an  old  friend 
and  was  invited  by  the  proprietor  to  go  with  him  to 
survey  his  splendid  new  warehouse.  As  they  started 
to  go  to  the  upper  floor,  the  visitor  began  immediately 
to  climb  the  stair.  **01i,"  said  his  friend,  "this  way," 
and  opened  a  little  side  door  and  led  him  down  a  few 
steps  to  a  platform  where  a  door  opened  into  an  eleva- 
tor. "This  is  the  way  we  go  up  now";  and  then  they 
mounted  by  that  elevator  to  the  very  top  of  the  build- 
ing, eight  or  ten  stories  high,  and  came  down  from  floor 
to  floor  without  the  slightest  effort.  As  they  returned 
to  the  office  the  gentleman  said:  "I  have  just  been 
thinking  that  this  is  God's  new  way  of  ascension.  He 
leads  us  down  first,  and  then  He  puts  us  into  His  ele- 
vator and  lifts  us  up  to  Himself." 

This  is  the  story  of  Job.  This  is  the  story  of  Jesus. 
This  is  the  story  of  everj^  true  life.  "Except  a  com  of 
wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone ;  but 
if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit."  God  help  us 
to  die.  Fear  not  the  pain,  the  sacrifice,  the  surrender. 
"Though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death,  I  fear  no  evil:  for  thou  art  with  me."  And  on 
the  other  side  you  shall  say,  "Thou  anointest  my  head 
with  oil;  my  cup  runneth  over.  Surely  goodness  and 
mercy  shall  follow  me  all  the  days  of  my  life;  and  I 
will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  forever." 


Si 


Oh,  how  sweet  it  is  to  die  with  Jesus, 
To  the  world  and  self  and  sin! 

Oh,   how   sweet  it   is   to   live   with  Jesus, 
As  He  lives  and   reigns  within! 


::3 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IX  THE  LIVES  OF  SAUL  AND 

DAVID. 


' '  Create  in  nic  a  clean  heart,  O  God ;  and  renew  a  right  spirit 
within   nie. 

Cast  nie  not  away  froni  thy  presence;  and  take  not  thy  holy 
Spirit    from   me, 

"Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of  thy  salvation;  and  uphold  in« 
with  thy  free  Spirit."— Psalm  5:  10-12. 

THESE  words  express  the  prayer  of  David  at  an 
important  era  in  his  life,  and  suggest  to  us  his  rela- 
tion to  the  Holy  Spirit  in  his  deepes.t  experience. 
Back  of  this  picture  there  lies  in  dim  outline  another 
picture,  that  of  a  life  that  had  also  possessed  the  Holy 
Spirit  but  had  lost  Ilis  blessing;  and  it  was,  perhaps, 
in  reference  to  this  dark,  sad  background  that  David 
cried,  "Take  not  Thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me."  The  other 
picture  is  that  of  Saul.  These  two  lives  stand  side  by 
side  as  companion  pictures  illustrating  the  dealings  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  with  tvo  opposite  characters,  and  lead- 
ing to  entireiy  opposite  issues.  It  is  a  very  solemn  con- 
trast and  a  very  instructive  lesson. 

1.  First,  in  the  story  of  Saul  we  find  that  he,  too, 
had  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  have  a  very  distinct  account 
of  his  call  and  enduement  by  the  Spirit.  We  find  the 
story  in  the  tenth  chapter  of  First  Samuel.  Here  we 
see  the  Spirit  coming  upon  a  man  almost  unsought,  and 
apparently  without  any  spiritual  preparation.  It  was 
the  Spirit  of  God  coming  for  service,  giving  him  power 
to  prophesy,  to  conquer,  to  rule,  the  enduement  for 
service  rather  than  for  personal   experience. 

There  is  always  real  danger  just  at  this  point.  It  is 
a  very  serious  thing  to  want  the  Holy  Ghost  simply 

129 


/ 


12:: 


130 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


to  give  us  power  to  work  for  God.  It  is  much  more 
important  that  we  should  receive  the  Holy  Spirit  for 
personal  eharacter  and  personal  holiness.  Perhaps  the 
deep  secret  of  Saul's  failure  was  that,  like  Balaam,  he 
had  power  to  witness  and  to  work  rather  than  to  live 
and  obey. 

God's  graces  are  higher  than  God's  gifts,  and  one 
grain  of  love  is  worth  a  thousand  lightning  flashes  of 
prophetic   fire. 

Again,  we  see,  perhaps,  another  secret  of  Saul 's  failure, 
in  the  fact  that  the  power  came  upon  him  largely  from 
others.  It  was  when  he  was  in  company  with  the  proph- 
ets that  the  spirit  of  prophecy  came  upon  him. 

There  is  always  danger  of  absorbing  much  from  the 
atmosphere  around  us,  and  being  too  little  self-contained 
and  directly  centred  in  God.  "Cursed  is  the  man  that 
trusteth  in  man,  and  raaketh  flesh  his  arm,  and  whose 
heart  is  departed  from  the  Lord."  The  difference  be- 
tween Saul  and  David  was  that  David  knew  God  for 
himself,  and  knew  Him  from  a  deep  personal  experience 
of  the  indwelling  life  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  outflowing 
life  of  habitual  obedience,  while  Saul  knew  Him  only 
as  a  supernatural  impulse  for  his  public  life. 

But  notwithstanding  these  drawbacks,  the  enduement 
of  Saul  with  the  Spirit  of  God  was  very  deep  and  very 
important.  It  marked  a  complete  crisis  in  his  life,  and 
his  heart  was  changed  into  another  heart,  and  he  became 
another  man. 

It  is  very  remarkable  how  fully  God  can  possess  a 
human  soul.  We  read  of  demoniac  possession  through 
which  the  entire  being  of  a  man  becomes  so  controlled 
by  evil  spirits  that  they  are  able  to  add  tenfold  intensity 
and  force  to  his  life.  Why  may  not  a  man  be  just  as 
much  God-possessed  as  he  can  be  Satan-possessed,  so  that 
every  faculty  and  power  of  his  being  shall  be  filled  with 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  his  energy  and  capa- 
bility shall  be  redoubled? 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  SAUL  AND  DAVID 


131 


This  was  the  case  with  Saul,  and  it  may  be  true  of 
us.  Look  again,  how  all-sufficient  His  divine  presence 
was  for  every  emergency.  "When  this  is  come  upon 
thee,"  Samuel  said,  "thou  shalt  do  as  occasion  serve 
thee;    for  God  is  with  thee." 

We  do  not  need  to  have  elaborate  plans  or  depend 
upon  our  own  wisdom;  for  we  have  a  Guide  and  a 
Friend  that  will  direct  us  as  need  shall  require,  and,  if 
we  will  acknowledge  Him  in  all  our  ways.  He  will  direct 
our  paths. 

So  Saul  started  in  his  career.  No  man  ever  had  a 
more  promising  beginning,  supported  by  splendid  per- 
sonnel, an  enthusiastic  people,  a  clear  call  of  God  and 
a  manifestly  divine  endueraent  for  his  great  work.  Sure- 
ly he  had  every  opportunity  to  accomplish  the  grandest 
results  for  God  and  man. 

But,  alas!  he  ended  in  disappointment  and  failure. 
His  kingdom  ere  long  was  rent  from  him  by  the  hand 
of  God,  and  his  sun  went  down  in  darkness  and  blood. 
What  were  the  causes  of  his  failure,  and  what  are  the 
lessons  of  this  strange  career? 

We  find  the  test  coming  to  him  very  soon.  Samuel 
sent  him  on  a  high  commission,  and  told  him  to  wait 
a  certain  time  until  he  should  arrive.  He  bade  him 
tarry  seven  days,  promising  him  to  come  and  oft>  r  sacri- 
fices to  God  before  marching  against  their  enemies.  Saul 
waited  until  the  seven  days  had  expired,  and  then,  be- 
coming impatient  and  anxious,  he  rashly  offered  the 
sacrifice  himself.  No  sooner  was  the  sacrifice  accomp- 
lished than  Samuel  arrived  and  told  him  that,  by  his 
disobedience,  he  had  forfeited  the  approval  of  God  and 
the  permanence  of  his  kingdom. 

It  may  seem  a  little  thing,  but  little  things  are  always 
deciding  the  issues  of  life  because  they  are  the  best 
tests  of  real  principle  and  character.  It  was  but  a  little 
thing  that  wrecked  the  human  race.  One  trifling  act  of 
disobedience,  one  minute  detail  of  God's  commandments 


i\ 


132 


POWER  FROM  OX  Hinir 


!| 


I 


ill  whieli  Dur  iirsi  pun  ills  (himl  to  tjtkc  lljt'ir  own  way 
began  the  career  ol."  rebellion  and  in«lf>ptMi<lei)ce  wliich 
has  brought  upon  llie  hiimaji  race  all  their  sorrow. 

This  act  indicated  the  true  spirit  ol'  Saul.  One  word 
expresses  that  better  than  any  other,  s*elt'-will. 

Although  God  had  appointed  hira  to  be  His  king, 
Saul  insisted  upon  being  his  own  master,  thereby  proving 
liiraself  unfit  for  his  ti'ust. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  second  t«st  came.  God 
^ave  Saul  another  chance,  He  sent  him  on  an  expedi- 
tion against  the  Amalekites,  Israel's  ancient  foes,  types 
of  the  flesh  and  the  world,  and  the  enemies  of  the  true 
life  of  God  in  the  soul.  His  instructions  were  implicit 
and  peremptory.  He  was  to  destroy  Anialek  utterly. 
Because  God  went  with  him  in  his  expedition  and  cntwn- 
ed  him  with  success,  Saul  returned  victorious,  having 
subdued  Amalek  and  laid  waste  all  their  cities;  but 
he  brought  back  with  him  the  best  of  tire  spoil  and  Agag, 
their  king,  to  grace  his  triumph. 

Samuel  arrived  just  as  he  was  congratulating  himself 
on  his  splendid  success,  and  his  faithful  fulfillment  of 
his  great  commission.  Saul  met  him  with  confidence, 
but  Samuel  responded  with  a  stern  rebuke.  "I  have 
obeyed  the  commandment  of  the  Lord,"  says  the  king. 
Then  followed  those  terrible  words  of  divine  denuncia- 
tion, which  ended  at  last  in  the  withdrawal  of  Samuel. 
As  Saul  clung  to  him  in  despair,  the  prt)phet's  garment 
parted  in  the  hands  of  the  king,  and  Samuel  declared 
that  it  was  thti  pledge  of  the  broken  covenant  and  the 
loss  of  his  kingdom. 

Saul  betrayed  the  real  earthliness  of  his  heart  by  his 
last  appeal.  ''Honor  me,"  he  cried,  "at  least  before  the 
people,"  and  God  granted  him  the  little  gratification 
which  for  the  time  satisfied  his  poor  shallow  heart.  Out 
of  this  dark  and  dreadful  scene  there  comes  one  sen- 
tence which  is  the  keynote  of  true  obedience  and  true 
success.     "Obedience   is  better  than  sacrifice   and   to 


Tin:   HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  SAUL  AND  DAVfD 


r^'^ 


hearken  than  the  lat  of  the  rams."  This  was  llic  s»cret 
of  Saul's  failure;  he  laeked  the  true  hearkening  spirit 
an<l   the  obedient  will. 

He  was  quite  willing  to  go  half  wa;y  with  God  as  long 
us  it  did  not  eross  his  personal  preferences;  but  when 
there  came  a  test  and  a  sacrifice,  his  obedience  failed, 
and  he  pleased  himself  rather  than  God.  This  was  the 
essential  difference  between  Saul  and  David.  It  was 
this  that  made  David  a  man  after  God's  heart.  He 
wanted  to  obey  God,  and  the  real  purpose  of  his  heart 
was  to  please  Jehovah. 

Saul  was  a  man  after  his  own  heart,  and  he  wanted 
to  please  and  glorify  poor  Saul.  He  was  the  type  of  a 
man  that  had  power  without  grace,  and  gifts  without 
holiness. 

His  desire  to  spare  Agag  was  but  a  sample  of  his 
whole  spirit.  He  wanted  to  spare  himself.  Agag  is 
the  type  of  the  self-life  and  the  whole  story  illustrates 
the  great  lesson  of  self-crucifixion,  which  lies  at  the 
threshold  of  all  spiritual  blessing.  Amalek  and  the  flesh 
must  die.  Saul  was  not  willing  that  they  should  die, 
and,  therefore,  Saul  had  to  die.  He  that  would  save 
his  life  must  lose  it,  and  he  that  is  willing  to  lose  his 
earth-life  will  keep  it  unto  the  life  that  is  not  of  earth 
but  eternal. 

This  was  the  turning  point  in  Saul's  career.  From 
this  time  the  Spirit  of  God  left  him,  and  "an  evil 
spirit  from  God"  possessed  him.  It  was  the  spirit  of 
Satan,  but  it  was  by   divine   permission. 

We  touch  a  very  awful  theme  here,  but  one  that  we 
dare  not  evade.  We  are  taught  in  many  places  in  the 
Holy  Scripture  that  when  men  refuse  the  leading  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  choose  their  own  way  and  the  ways 
of  Satan,  the  Lord  lets  them  be  filled  with  ther  own 
devices  and  gives  them  over  to  the  power  of  evil. 

Oh,  let  us  not  trifle  with  the  sacred  things  of  God! 
Let  us  not  talk  lightly  of  the  perseverance  of  the  saints 


b 


134 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


•  I 


'  i 


when  we  are  presumptuously  disobeying  God.  Like 
the  little  child  who  keeps  her  hoop  steady  in  its  move- 
ment by  touching  it  first  on  the  one  side  then  upon 
the  other,  so  God  speaks  to  us  His  promises  and  His 
threatenings  as  we  are  ready  to  receive  them.  To  the 
disobedient  and  careless  disciple  He  says  with  great 
solemnity,  **Let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed 
lest  he  fall."  But  to  the  poor  trembling  heart,  sinking 
in  its  own  discouragement,  He  cries,  ' '  I  will  never  leave 
thee  nor  forsake  thee " ;  "  My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and 
I  know  them,  and  they  follow  me :  and  I  give  unto  them 
eternal  life;  and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall 
any  man  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand." 

Like  the  pilgrim  in  Bunyan's  dream,  let  us  both 
hope  and  fear.  Let  us  guard  against  the  first  step 
backward.  We  never  know  where  it  is  going  to  end. 
The  apostle  hints  that  it  may  be  unto  perdition,  and 
he  pleads  with  us,  "Cast  not,  therefore,  away  your  con- 
fidence." **Tf  any  man  draw  back,  my  soul  shall  have 
no  pleasure  in  him.  But  we  are  not  of  them  who  draw 
back  unto  perdition,  but  of  them  who  believe  to  the 
saving  of  the  soul." 

2.  David,  likewise,  has  his  experience  of  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

In  the  same  paragraph  that  tells  us  of  the  Holy  Spirit's 
departing  from  Saul,  we  read  these  simple  words, '  *  Then 
Samuel  took  the  horn  of  oil,  and  anointed  him  in  the 
midst  of  his  brethren :  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came 
upon  David  from  that  day  forward"  (1.  Samuel  16: 13). 

The  first  effect  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  David  is 
shown  in  the  next  reference,  in  the  eighteenth  chapter 
of  first  Samuel  and  the  fifth  verse,  where  we  read  that 
*  *  David  went  out  whithersoever  Saul  sent  him,  and  he  be- 
haved himself  wisely." 

This  was  not  only  an  anointing  with  power,  but  an 
anointing  also  of  wisdom  and  grace,  enabling  him  to 


n 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  SAUL  AND  DAVID 


135 


live  a  true  life  and  to  eommeud  himself  to  this  master 
ynd  to  all  men. 

The  subs»'(|U(Mit  story  oi'  David's  life  is  but  an  un- 
folding of  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  the  book 
of  Psalms  we  have  the  inner  life  of  David,  and  in  the 
historieal  books  we  have  the  outer  story  that  correspond- 
ed to  this. 

We  find  David  himself  attributing  his  military  ex- 
l)loits  and  his  physical  power,  as  well  as  the  success  of 
his  whole  kingdom,  to  the  power  of  the  God  upon  whom 
he  depended.  There  is  no  finer  illustration  of  this  than 
the  eighteenth  Psalm,  in  which  he  himself  tells  us  the 
secret  of  his  strength. 

**He  teacheth  my  hands  to  war,  so  that  a  bow  of 
steel  is  broken  by  mine  arms." 

* '  Thou  hast  also  given  me  the  shield  of  thy  salvation : 
and  thy  right  hand  hath  holden  me  up,  and  thy  gentle- 
ness hath  made  me  great."  Yet  the  warrior  king  rec- 
ognized in  his  body  the  same  power  which  gives  us 
strength  today  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  attributed  all  his  victories  to  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

In  the  story  of  his  campaigns  we  have  some  vivid 
illustrations  of  his  constant  dependence  upon  the  pres- 
ence of  God  and  the  leadership  of  His  Spirit.  Even 
when  he  wandered  as  a  fugitive  among  his  enemies,  we 
find  him  constantly  inquiring  of  the  Lord  about  all  his 
movements.  When,  as  he  ascended  the  throne,  the  Phil- 
istines came  up  against  him,  we  see  him  at  once  appealing 
to  Jehovah,  and  asking,  * '  Shall  I  go  up  to  the  Philistines  ? 
Wilt  thou  deliver  them  into  my  hand?  Not  until  the 
answer  came  and  the  order  was  given  to  move,  did  he 
presume  to   go  forward. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  his  movements  were  crowned 
with  victory.  A  year  later  when  the  same  enemy  re- 
turned in  force,  David  did  not  go  against  them  as  be- 


;» 


fc,^«  t^m  ti  »  lo 


136 


POWER  FROM  ON   IITOTI 


f  r 


Nil! 


s. 


fore.  He  again  went  to  God  for  diroct  pfiiidancc,  })ut 
he  received  an  entimly   diftVrciit   dinrtion. 

"Thou  shalt  not,  go  up;  but  fetch  a  compass  behind 
them,  and  come  upon  thorn  over  against  the  mul!jerry 
trees.  And  let  it  be,  when  thou  hearest  the  sound  of  a 
going  in  the  tops  of  the  mulberry  trees,  that  then  thou 
shalt  bestir  thyself:  for  then  shall  the  Lord  go  out 
before  thee,  to  smite  the  host  of  the  Philistines."  Surely 
this  was  a  divine  plan  of  battle  and  a  divine  victory. 

Thus  he  fought  his  battles,  thus  he  won  his  crown; 
thus  he  ruled  and  organized  his  people;  thus  he  planned 
the  glorious  temple;  and  thus  he  lived  his  wondrous  life 
in  the  power  of  the  same  Holy  Spirit  which  comes  to  us 
in  the  fuller  light  of  the  New  Testament  Dispensation. 

We  have  in  the  Psalms  some  delightful  revelations 
of  the  relation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  his  inner  life.  We 
find  in  one  of  the  most  profoundly  spiritual  of  them 
this  prayer,  **Thy  Spirit  is  good;  lead  me  into  the 
land  of  unrightness. "  We  see  in  some  of  them  the 
unfoldings  of  a  deeper  life  which  makes  them  light- 
houses for  us  upon  the  voyage  of  our  higher  Christian 
experience. 

Nowhere  else  can  we  find  a  pro  founder  conception 
of  faith  than  in  some  of  these  Psalms.  The  thirty- 
seventh  Psalm  is  not  unlike  the  beatitudes  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  Himself. 

There  we  see  two  pictures,  one  corresponding  to  the 
story  of  Saul  and  the  other  to  the  spirit  of  David.  There 
we  see  a  man  who  is  plotting  against  God's  servant  and 
seeking  to  slay  him ;  and  there  we  see  the  spirit  of  trust, 
fretting  not  because  of  evildoers,  but  trusting  in  the  Lord 
with  holy  obedience,  committing  his  way  unto  the  Lord, 
and  waiting  patiently  for  Him,  resting  in  the  Lord  and 
delighting  himself  in  Him,  and  receiving  from  Him  the 
desires  of  his  heart. 

Surely  the  man  who  could  write  this  must  have  drunk 
deeply  of  the  fountain  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IIT  SAUL  AND  DAVID 


137 


In  the  paasapo  which  wo  have  quotetl  as  our  text  we 
have  a  most  definite  unfolding  o£  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
David's  personal  experience.  He  is  nipresented  here  in 
a  three-fold  aspect,  and  under  three  distinct  names. 
First,  as  the  right  spirit,  "Renew  a  right  spirit  within 
me";  second,  as  the  Holy  Spirit,  "Take  not  thy 
holy  Spirit  from  me";  third,  as  the  free  spirit,  which 
literally  means  the  princely  spirit,  the  lofty,  noble  spirit, 
the  spirit  which  communicates  life  and  liberty.  *  *  Uphold 
me  with  thy  free  spirit." 

These  are  not  repetitions.  First,  there  is  the  right 
spirit.  This  is  connected  with  the  clean  heart  It  ia 
a  work  of  creation.  It  is  the  spirit  of  the  new-born 
soul.  It  is  the  heart  that  has  been  purified.  It  is  not  so 
much  the  indwelling  person  of  the  Spirit  a»s  the  effect 
of  His  work  in  producing  rightness  of  heart  toward  God 
and  toward  man. 

Secondly,  we  have  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  is  the  per- 
son of  the  Holy  Ghost  Himself,  which  will  come  into  the 
heart  that  has  been  made  right,  and  dwell  within  us 
in  His  power  and  holiness. 

It  is  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  spirit  which  brings  holiness ; 
and  holiness  just  means  wholeness,  completeness,  entire 
conformity  to  the  will  of  God.  David  here  intimates 
the  possibility  of  losing  this  Holy  Spirit,  as  Saul  had 
done;  but  he  cries,  "take  not  thy  holy  Spirit  from  me.'' 

David's  trust  is  very  beautiful.  He  had  come  to  a 
great  crisis.  He  had  forfeited  his  kingdom  and  his 
place  of  deeper  blessing.  Had  it  not  been  for  his  con- 
fidence in  God,  he  would  have  been  driven  to  despair. 
He  had  fallen  and  fallen  so  far  that  his  whole  moral 
nature  was  stunned,  and  his  spiritual  sensibilities  were 
so  paralyzed  that  he  was  left  for  four  long  years  with- 
out the  consciousness  of  his  very  fall.  When  he  awoke 
from  his  dream  to  the  dreadful  consciousness  of  his  ein 
the   realization   of  his   iniquity   was  fearful. 

He  beheld  himself  in  the  light  of  the  Holy  Qhcst,  and 


l.'^S 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


eried  again,  "Against  thee,  thee  only,  have  1  sinned.** 
Yot,  in  the  face  of  this  dark  and  dreadful  vision,  he 
saw  the  grace  of  God  as  perhaps  no  one  ever  saw  it 
before;  and  he  was  able  to  rise  from  the  depths  of 
sin  to  the  heights  of  mercy,  and  cry,  "I  shall  be  whiter 
than  snow."  Judas  had  a  similar  vision  of  his  sin, 
but  without  the  vision  of  mercy,  and  he  sank  to  rise  no 
more.  But  God  in  His  infinite  mercy  gave  David  the 
faith  to  realize  the  divine  love,  so  he  rose  from  the 
abyss  of  sin  to  the  heights  of  salvation.  We  have  a 
similar  incident  in  the  story  of  the  woman  of  Canaan, 
to  whom  Jesus  gave  the  fearful  words,  "It  is  not  meet 
to  take  the  children's  bread  and  to  cast  it  to  the  dogs." 
That  expression,  "dogs,"  meant  the  very  depths  of  sin 
and  unnatural  crime.  She  did  not  deny  it ;  she  accepted 
it  with  lowly  heart.  Then  she  leaped  from  the  depths 
of  her  unworthiness  and  penitence  to  the  highest  place 
in  His  love,  and  claimed,  even  as  a  dog,  a  crumb  of 
her  Master 's  bread.  Jesus  looked  upon  her  with  wonder, 
because  she  had  been  able  to  see  her  own  unworthiness 
and  yet  to  accept  His  mercy  and  grace. 

This  was  the  spirit  that  enabled  David  to  trucst  God 
even  in  the  darkest  hour,  and  doubtless  it  brought  David 
nearer  to  God  than  he  had  ever  been  before. 

There  is  a  third  designation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  here, 
"Uphold  me  with  thy  free  spirit."  There  was  danger 
that,  in  coming  back  to  God  from  such  an  awful  state,  he 
should  come  in  the  spirit  of  servile  fear. 

And  so  he  asks  that  God  would  give  him  the  spirit 
of  love  and  holy  liberty.  David  is  the  prodigal  coming 
back  to  take  the  highest  place,  to  wear  the  best  robe,  the 
royal  ring,  and  to  sit  at  the  heavenly  banquet.  God 
wants  us  all  to  have  this  spirit.  It  is  the  spirit  of  son- 
ship;  it  is  the  spirit  of  confidence;  it  is  the  new-born 
spirit;   it  is  the  princely  spirit. 

God  takes  us  in  Jesus  Christ  "even  as  He."  He  has 
made  us  accepted  in  the  Beloved,  and  we  cannot  honor 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  iSAUL  AND  DAVID 


139 


Him  so  much  in  any  other  way  as  by  accepting  the  place 
He  gives  us  and  counting  ourselves  the  objects  of  His 
perfect  complacency  and  infinite  love  through  Jesus 
Christ,  our  Lord. 

This  is  the  spirit  of  power,  the  spirit  of  love,  the 
spirit  that  has  spring  in  it  and  force  in  it,  and  leads 
us  out  to  self-sacrifice  and  unselfish  love.  And  so  Tie 
adds,  ''Then  will  I  teach  transgressors  thy  ways;  and 
sinners  shall  be  converted  unto  thee  .  .  .  and  my  tongue 
shall  sing  aloud  of  thy  righteousness." 

Was  it  with  reference  to  this  experience  that  he 
wrote  the  wondrous  twentj''-third  Psalm  ?  Surely  we  find 
there  the  same  progression  of  thought  and  experience. 
First  we  see  the  restored  sheep  under  the  Shepherd's 
care,  rejoicing  in  the  green  pastures  and  lying  down  by 
the  waters  of  rest.  Next  we  see  a  different  picture.  It  is 
the  wandering  sheep,  but  the  wandering  sheep  is  not 
remembered  except  in  the  song  of  restoration.  He  re- 
storeth  my  soul,  He  maketh  me  to  walk  in  the  right 
paths,  for  His  name's  sake. 

It  is  here  that  the  crisis  comes,  "The  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death."  This  is  not  literal  death,  but  that 
deeper  death  to  self  and  sin  through  which  everv'  true 
life  must  pass,  and  through  which,  perhaps,  David  passed 
after  the  tragedy  of  Uriah  and  Bathsheba. 

Although  it  is  a  veiy  dark  valley,  there  is  one  bright 
thing  through  it  all — the  presence  of  the  Lord.  "Thou 
are  with  me;  thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort  me"; 
"I  will  fear  no  evil." 

You  will  notice  that  here  He  speaks  of  the  second 
person.  It  is  no  longer  He  but  Thou.  God  is  now  by 
his  side  and  in  his  very  heart.  Now,  how  all  has 
changed !  Instead  of  the  Shepherd,  it  is  the  Father ;  and 
instead  of  the  fold,  it  ir  the  banqueting  house  and  the 
home  circle.  Instead  of  the  painful  returning  of  Ihc 
prodigal,  it  is  the  table  spread  in  the  presence  of  his 
enemies,  the  head  anointed  with  oil.  and  the  overflowing 


140 


POWER  FBOM  ON   HIGH 


< 

.1: 

*'< 

m'<  ■'• 


!i 


cup.  This  is  "the  free  spirit."  This  is  the  blessing 
that  there  is  not  room  enough  to  receive.  Before  him 
all  is  brighter  still.  As  he  looks  out  into  the  coming 
vista  he  cries,  "Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow 
me  all  the  days  of  my  life;  and  I  will  dwell  in  tho 
house  of  the  Lord  forever." 

Beloved,  these  are  "the  sure  mercies  of  David."  Thv 
Lord  is  waiting  to  give  the  same  right  spirit,  the  same 
Holy  Spirit,  the  same  free  spirit,  the  same  fullness  of 
blessing  for  spirit,  soul,  and  body.  Oh,  it  may  be  that 
some  of  us,  like  David,  have  sunk  with  him  into  sin 
and  despair!  Do  not  yield  to  discouragement,  but  rec- 
ognize the  hand  ot  jrierv  in  the  fall.  Perhaps  it  was 
divine  love,  showing  jc  a  Uiai  you  were  not  strong  enough 
to  stand  alone,  and  bringing  you  back,  not  to  the  old 
place  of  blessing,  but  to  a  place  where  He  is  able  to 
keep  you  from  stumbling,  and  to  present  you  faultless 
before  the  presence  of  His  glory  with  exceeding  joy. 

That  blessed  Holy  Spirit  is  ready  to  come  to  you  and 
to  "cause  you  to  walk  in  his  statutes,  so  that  you  shall 
keep  his  judgments  and  do  them."  That  "Free  Spirit" 
is  longing  so  to  fill  you  that  "the  water  that  he  shall 
give  you  shall  be  in  you  a  well  of  water,  springing  up 
into  everlasting  life";  nay,  mo^  v  that  drinking  of  His 
fullness  you  shall  not  be  able  •  Id  the  blessing,  and 
out  of  your  inmost  being  sha'l  fr  th  to  others  rivers 
of  living  water;  and  your  blessiiiU  shall  reach  its  con- 
summation in  David's  closing  song,  "Then  will  I  teach 
transgressors  thy  way;  and  sinners  shall  be  converted 
unto  thee."  "0  Lord,  open  thou  my  lips;  and  my 
mouth  shall  shew  forth  thy  praise.' 


»» 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

"Wisdom  crieth  without;    she  uttereth  her  voice  in  the  streets; 

"She  crieth  iu  the  chief  place  of  concourse,  in  the  openings 
of  the  gates :    in  the  city  she  uttereth  her  words,  saying, 

"How  long,  ye  simple  ones,  will  ye  l«ve  simplicity f  and  the 
scornera  delight  in  their  scorning,  and  fools  hate  knowledge! 

"Turn  you  at  my  reproof:  behold,  1  will  pour  out  my  Spirit 
unto  you,  I  will  make  known  my  words  unto  you." — Prov.  1: 
20,  21,  22,  23. 

THERE  is  a  beautiful  incident  in  the  early  history 
of  Solomon  which  reveals  the  secert  of  his  extra- 
ordinary life. 
Just  after  his  accession  to  the  throne  of  his  father, 
David,  the  Lord  appeared  to  him  in  Gibeon,  and  gave 
him  the  right  to  choose  any  blessing  he  desired.  Instead 
of  choosing  wealth,  power,  long  life,  and  the  lives  of  his 
enemies,  he  simply  asked  for  w'sdom;  and  God  was  so 
pleased  with  him  for  his  simple  single  choice  that  He  gave 
him  not  only  wisdom,  but  all  these  other  blessings  also. 
Solomon  became  renowned  for  superhuman  wisdom,  and, 
in  this  book  of  Proverbs,  we  have  some  of  the  utterances 
of  that  wisdom,  crystalized  in  the  form  of  these  short, 
sententious  words,  which  have  been  well  called  "pearls 
at  random  strung." 

It  is  said  that  the  people  of  Scotland  are  accustomed 
to  carry  in  their  vest  pockets  a  small  copy  of  the  book 
of  Proverbs,  as  a  sort  of  "vade  mecum,"  a  kind  of  man- 
ual of  practical  wisdom,  for  the  guidance  of  their  every- 
day life. 

This  book  reveals  to  us  a  phase  of  life  that  is  extremely 
practical  and  important,  and  shows  us  the  teachings  and 
workings  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  they  affect  our  everyday 

141 


t 


s. 


142 


POWER   FROM   ON   HIGH 


i 


life.  The  key-word  to  this  wliole  book  is  the  word  Wis- 
dom.    It   occurs   scores   of  times. 

It  is  a  peculiar  Hebrew  word,  and  in  these  pages  it 
becomes  personific^d  until  it  is  really  a  proper  name.  It 
is  very  much  like  another  term  applied  to  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  New  Testament ;  namely,  the  Word, 
or  Logos,  introduced  to  us  in  the  first  chapter  of  the 
Gospel  of  John,  Indeed,  the  Word  in  John  and  Wisdom 
in  Proverbs  are  realJy  the  same  Person,  tlie  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  Himself,  revealed  in  these  ancient  pages  in  His 
primeval  glory.  But  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  always  stands 
connected  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  reveals  Him,  and 
who  filled  Him,  and  spake  and  wrought  through  Him 
during  His  earthly  ministry ;  so  that  Wisdom  in  the 
book  of  Proverbs  is  not  only  the  personification  of  Jesus 
Christ  but  also  of  the  blessed  Holy  Ghost. 

Let  us  look  at  some  of  the  pictures  of  this  blessed 
Person  in   these   ancient   pages. 

I. 

First,  we  see  Him  in  His  personal  and  primeval  glory. 
This  is  unfolded  in  the  sublime  vision  of  the  eighth  chap- 
ter' of  Proverbs.  *'Tlie  Lord  possessed  me  in  the  begin- 
ning of  his  way,  before  his  works  of  old."  This  blessed 
Person  is  older  than  the  creation.  "I  was  set  up  from 
everlasting,  from  the  beginning,  or  ever  the  earth  was. 
When  there  were  no  depths,  I  was  brought  forth ;  when 
there  were  no  fountains  abounding  with  water.  B(>- 
fore  the  mountains  were  settled,  before  the  hills  was  I 
brought  forth :  while  as  yet  he  had  not  made  the  earth, 
nor  the  fields,  nor  the  high<>st  part  of  the  dust  of  the 
world." 

Next,  we  see  Him  taking  part  in  the  work  of  creation. 
*'When  he  prepared  the  heavens,  I  was  there:  when 
he  set  a  compass  upon  the  face  of  the  depth ;  when  he 
established  the  clouds  above;  when  he  strengthened  the 
fountains  of  the  deep;   when  he  gave  to  the  sea  his  de- 


THE  irOTiY  SPIRIT  IN  PR0VERB8 


143 


^ord  Wis- 

pages  it 
iam(3.  It 
;)ur  Lorr! 
lie  Word, 
iv  of  the 
[  Wisdom 
)rd  Jesus 
3S  in  His 
ys  stands 
lim,  and 
igh  Ilim 
n  in   the 

of  Jesus 

s  blessed 


al  glory, 
ith  chap- 
le  begin- 
^  blessed 
up  from 
rtli  was. 
1 ;  when 
sr.  Be- 
s  was  I 
le  earth, 
:  of  the 

reation. 
:  when 
vhen  he 
ned  the 
his  de- 


cree, that  the  waters  should  not  pass  his  commandment; 
when  he  apt)ointed  the  foundations  of  the  earth :  then 
I  was  by  hira,  as  one  brought  up  with  him;  and  I  was 
daily  his  delight,   rejoicing  always  before  him." 

Oh,  what  depths  of  light  these  strange  illuminated 
verses  pour  upon  the  fellowship  of  the  Father,  the  Son, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  the  remote  eternal  ages !  And,  oh, 
what  love  to  our  poor  human  race  these  words  reveal, 
"Rejoicing  in  the  habitable  part  of  his  earth;  and  my 
delights  were  with  the  sons  of  men"! 

This  blessed  Christ,  this  blessed  Comforter,  who  seeks 
your  love,  is  no  less  than  the  second  and  third  Persons 
of  the  Eternal  Godhead.  By  them  these  heavens  were 
made  and  this  earth  was  formed.  All  the  majesty  of 
nature  is  their  handiwork.  All  the  wisdom  of  the  ages 
has  come  from  their  eternal  mind.  Not  only  do  they 
represent  the  wisdom  and  power  of  God,  but  they  repre- 
sent a  love  that  has  thought  of  us  from  the  very  begin- 
ning, and  will  love  us  to  the  end. 

When  this  world  was  made,  when  the  mountains 
were  settled  and  the  fountains  and  the  rivers  were 
opened.  God  was  thinking  of  us,  the  Holy  Ghost  was 
planning  for  our  happiness  and  welfare. 

The  whole  material  universe,  the  whole  structure  of 
nature,  the  whole  economy  of  the  ages  was  planned  with 
a  view  to  our  creation,  our  redemption,  our  eternal  glory. 
Redemption  is  no  after-thought  of  God;  but  when  He 
made  this  earth,  and  settled  the  stars  in  their  orbits, 
He  did  it  with  a  view  to  man's  creation  and  future 
destiny.  Oh,  surely  we  can  trust  Him  with  our  future 
when  we  think  of  His  eternal  past!  Oh,  surely  we 
need  not  hesitate  to  commit  our  destiny  to  those  Al- 
mighty hands,  that  have  spanned  these  heavens  and 
laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth,  and  to  that  heart  of 
eternal  love  that  loved  us  from  the  first  of  time,  and 
loves  us  to  the  last! 

But  not  only  do  we  see  His  part  in  creation,  but  also 


»   <iW^%^*fc     ^1^  •   ^»M 


144 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


futn 


in  providence.  "By  me,"  he  says,  "kings  reign,  and 
princes  decree  justice.  By  me  princes  rule,  and  nobles, 
even  all  the  judges  of  the  earth."  His  is  the  wisdom 
that  has  inspired  every  high  and  mighty  thought  of 
man;  His  is  the  fire  that  has  kindled  every  touch  of 
human  genius.  He  is  the  foundation  of  all  life,  and 
truth,  and  wisdom,  and  power;  and  He  offers  to  be 
at  once  our  wisdom,  our  guide,  our  power,  and  our  all- 
sufficiency. 

Surely  we  may  well  heed  His  gentle  voice,  as  He  calls 
to  us  in  the  light  of  all  this  record  of  glory:  "Now, 
therefore,  hearken  unto  me,  ye  children;  for  blessed 
are  they  that  keep  my  ways.  Hear  instruction,  and  be 
wise,  and  refuse  it  not;  for  whoso  findeth  me  findeth 
life,  and  shall  obtain  the  favor  of  the  Lord,  but  he  that 
sinneth  against  me  wrongeth  his  own  soul ;  all  they  that 
hate  me  love  death." 

n. 

The  next  chapter  reveals  to  us  this  divine  Wisdom 
building  her  house,  hewing  out  her  seven  pillars,  killing 
her  sacrifices,  spreading  her  table,  inviting  her  guests, 
and  calling  her  friends  to  the  banquet  of  her  bounty  and 
grace.  This,  also,  is  a  picture  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The 
house  that  she  is  building  is  the  Church  of  Christ.  The 
seven  pillars  that  stand  in  the  front  are  truth,  righteous- 
ness, life,  faith,  love,  power,  and  hope.  The  sacrifice 
is  that  of  Christ,  our  great  atonement ;  and  the  banquet 
prepared  is  the  feast  of  His  love,  the  Living  Bread 
which  He  Himself  provides,  and  the  wine  of  joy  and 
blessing  that  comes  from  the  indwelling  of  His  Holy 
Spirit.  Into  this  blessed  house  of  mercy  and  unto  this 
table  of  every  heavenly  blessing,  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
inviting  a  starving  world. 

In  contrast  with  this  blesvsed  woman,  who  stands  in 
the  front  of  the  picture,  there  is  another  woman  revealed 
in  the  closing  verses.     It  is  the  woman  that  so  often 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  PROVERBS 


145 


appears  in  the  pictures  of  Proverbs,  that  evil  woman  who 
sits  in  the  highway  of  life  calling  to  the  passers-by  to 
partake  of  her  unhallowed  joy,  inviting  the  foolish  and 
the  simple  to  partake  of  her  forbidden  pleasures,  saying 
to  them,  "Stolen  waters  are  sweet,  and  bread  eaten  in 
secret  is  pleasant. ' '  But,  alas !  there  is  an  awful  skeleton 
behind  that  door,  and  a  fearful  cry  that  comes  from  that 
house  of  folly  and  sin,  for  the  prophet  tells  us  "that 
the  dead  are  there ;  and  her  guests  are  in  the  depths  of 
hell." 

So  the  two  houses  stand  face  to  face  on  the  highway 
of  life;  the  heavenly  house,  with  the  Holy  Ghost  stand- 
ing at  its  door  and  inviting  in  the  children  of  sin  and 
sorrow,  and  saying,  "IIo,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  .  .  . 
come  ye,  buy  and  eat;  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk 
without  money,  and  without  price.  Wherefore  do  ye 
spend  your  money  for  that  which  is  not  bread  ?  and  your 
labor  for  that  which  satisfieth  not?"  And  right  across 
the  way,  with  the  multitude  surging  by  and  pressing  in, 
is  the  house  of  pleasure,  the  house  of  shame,  the  house  of 
sin,  whose  steps  are  hard  by  the  gates  of  hell. 

m. 

We  turn  back  to  the  first  chapter  of  Proverbs,  and  we 
have  another  picture  of  Wisdom  as  an  impersonation  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  She  is  standing  now  in  the  streets  of 
the  great  city,  in  the  entering  in  of  the  gates,  in  the 
places  of  public  concourse,  and  calling  to  the  passing 
crowd  as  they  go  heedlessly  by,  "How  long,  ye  simple 
ones,  will  ye  love  simplicity?  and  the  scorners  delight 
in  their  scorning,  and  fools  hate  knowledge.  Turn  you 
at  my  reproof:  behold,  I  will  pour  out  my  spirit  unto 
you,  I  will  make  known  my  words  unto  you."  This 
is  the  Holy  Ghost  pleading  with  a  lost,  perishing  world. 
This  is  the  Spirit  of  God,  in  the  messengers  of  the  Gos- 
pel, inviting  men  to  turn  to  God.     This  i«  the  vision 


"ii 

■r  J 


1- 

i 


m^ 


h  i 

■S2 


146 


POWER  FROM   ON   HIGH 


J: 


•lis: 


•i 


of  divine  mercy  trying  to  save  men  through  the  message 
of  the  Gospel. 

Notice  that  she  does  not  stand  behind  a  pulpit  railing 
and  inside  upon  the  marble  steps  of  a  splendid  cathedral. 
This  was  the  way  that  Isaiah  prophesied,  that  Jonah 
preached,  that  Jesus  preached,  and  that  Paul  often  pro- 
claimed the  Gospel. 

We  cannot  wait  for  a  sinful  world  to  come  to  our 
doors.  We  must  go  out  quickly,  and  constrain  them 
to  come  in;  and  if  we  are  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
our  cry,  like  Wisdom's,  will  still  be  heard  in  the  streets, 
and  amid  the  concourse  of  crowds,  and  at  the  entering 
in  of  the  gates.  It  is  the  same  old  cry,  ** Repent"; 
"Turn  you  at  my  reproof."  It  is  the  call  to  men  to 
turn  from  sin  and  turn  to  God ;  and  the  promise  comes 
with  it  that  God  will  give  His  Spirit  to  the  returning 
sinner,  and  enable  him  to  repent,  believe,  and  obey. 

Oh,  is  there  any  sinful  soul  listening  to  this  message 
or  reading  these  lines?  He  calls  to  thee,  ''Turn  you  at 
my  reproof, ' '  and  He  will  pour  out  His  Spirit  upon  yon 
as  you  put  yourself  in  the  place  of  blessing,  and  He  will 
make  known  Plis  words  unto  you,  and  lead  you  into  all 
truth  as  you  follow  on  and  obey  the  light  that  He  has 
alreatly  given  you.  But  there  is  the  same  solemn  warn- 
ing to  those  that  refuse  to  repent  and  believe.  Oh,  how 
sad  and  solemn  is  this  warning  cry,  "Because  I  have 
called,  and  ye  refused;  I  have  stretched  out  my  hand, 
and  no  man  regarded;  but  ye  have  set  at  nought  all 
my  counsel,  and  would  have  none  of  my  reproof;  I 
also  will  laugh  at  your  calamity ;  I  will  mock  when  your 
fear  coraeth  as  desolation,  and  your  destruction  cometh 
as  a  whirlwind ;  when  distress  and  anguish  cometh  upon 
you."    Oh,  how  dark  the  angry  cloud! 

And  then  there  comes  a  strange  and  awful  change 
in  the  .structure  of  the  sentence;  from  the  second  per- 
son it  changes  to  the  third  person.  It  is  no  longer  you. 
but  they ;  for  God  has  now  gotten  so  far  away  that  He 


IS 

iup 
not 
no 
not 


message 

railing 
thedral. 
;  Jonah 
ten  pro- 

to  our 
n  them 

Ghost, 
streets, 
ntering 
!pent"; 
men  to 
3  comes 
turning 
obey, 
nessage 
you  at 
on  you 
:Ie  will 
nto  all 
He  has 

warn- 
h.  how 
I  have 

hand, 
?ht  all 
x)f ;  I 
n  your 

ometh 
1  upon 

change 
d  per- 
r  yon. 
lat  He 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  PROVERBS 


147 


is  speaking  to  the  poor  lost  soul  no  more,  but  only  speak- 
ing about  it.  "Then  shall  they  call  upon  me,  but  I  will 
not  answer;  they  shall  seek  nie  early,  but  thoy  shall 
not  find  me:  for  that  they  hated  knowledge,  and  did 
not  choose  the  fear  of  the  Lord:  they  would  uono  of 
my  counsel;  they  despised  all  my  reproof:  therefore 
shall  they  eat  of  the  fruit  of  their  own  way,  and  be  filled 
with  their  own  devices."  This  is  still  the  Holy  Spirit's 
solemn  voice  to  all  who  reject  His  message  and  refuse 
the  Gospel  of  His  grace. 

But  as  the  storm  cloud  sweeps  away,  the  rainbow 
rises  upon  its  last  dark  shadow,  a  rainbow  of  promise  to 
those  who  have  heeded  His  warning  and  have  hearkened 
to  His  voice.  God  grant,  brother,  that  it  may  be  His 
word  to  you,  and  thou  even  yet  shall  turn  at  His  re- 
proof. "Whoso  hearkenth  unto  me  shall  dwell  safely, 
and  shall  be  quiet  from  the  fear  of  evil."  Blessed 
promise ;  saved  from  all  evil,  saved  even  from  its  shadow 
and  from  its  touch. 

TV. 

How  shall  we  find  the  truth?  How  shall  we  receive 
this  heavenly  wisdom?  The  answer  is  given  in  the 
second  chapter  of  Proverbs  and  the  first  nine  verses. 
"If  thou  will  receive  my  words,  and  hide  my  command- 
ments with  thee;  so  that  thou  incline  thine  ear  unto 
wisdom,  and  apply  thine  heart  to  understanding;  yea,  if 
thou  criest  after  knowledge,  and  liftest  up  thy  voice  for 
understanding ;  if  thou  seekest  her  as  silver,  and  search- 
est  for  her  as  for  hid  treasures,  then  shalt  thou  under- 
stand the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  find  the  knowledge  of 
God."  Here  is  the  secret  of  divine  teaching,  deep  earn- 
estness and  singleness  of  purpose,  and  perseverance  of 
pursuit;  the  ears,  the  heart,  the  whole  being  must  be 
yielded  up.  We  must  desire  God  above  everything,  and 
seek  Him  as  men  search  for  treasures  and  mines,  for 
silver  and  for  gold. 


148 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


,4 


God  has  hiddon  cvory  procious  thinp  in  such  a  way 
that  it  is  a  reua"d  to  the  diligent,  a  prize  to  the  earnest, 
and  a  disappointment  to  the  slothful  soul.  All  nature 
is  arrayed  against  the  lounger  and  the  idler.  The  nut 
is  hidden  in  its  thorny  case;  the  pearl  is  buried  be- 
neath the  ocean  wave;  the  gold  is  imprisoned  in  the 
rocky  bosom  of  the  mountain;  the  gem  is  found  only 
after  you  crush  the  rock  that  incloses  it;  the  very  soil 
gives  its  harvests  as  the  reward  of  industry  to  the  labor- 
ing husbandman.  So  truth  and  God  must  be  earnestly 
sought.  "They  that  seek  shall  find ;  to  him  that  knocketh 
it  shall  be  opened." 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  given  in  His  fullest  measure  to 
deep  earnestness  and  singleness  of  purpose  and  desire. 
You  cannot  have  the  higher  things  of  God  without  the 
sacrifice  of  everything  else.  "I  have  suffered  the  loss 
of  all  things,  and  do  count  them  but  dung,"  **for  the 
excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord." 
This  is  the  true  Spirit  of  divine  attainment.  The  prize 
is  not  for  all.  All  run,  but  one  receiveth  the  prize. 
God  give  us  the  diligence,  the  singleness,  the  self-sacri- 
fice, the  concentration  of  desire,  purpose,  and  every 
power  upon  the  one  thing  which  really  means  all  things, 
and  we,  too,  shall  find  that  God  is  waiting  to  reward  the 
true  heart  with  Himself.  It  is  as  true  as  ever,  "ye  shall 
seek  me,  and  find  me,  when  ye  shall  search  for  me  with 
all  your  heart." 

V. 

The  message  of  wisdom  to  the  seeker  and  searcher 
after  treasure  is  found  in  Proverb  3:13-18,  "Happy 
is  the  man  that  findeth  wisdom,  and  the  man  that  getteth 
understanding:  for  the  merchandise  of  it  is  better  than 
the  merchandise  of  silver,  and  the  gain  thereof  than 
fine  gold.  She  is  more  precious  than  rubies:  and  all 
the  things  thou  canst  desire  are  not  to  be  compared 
xmto  her,    Length  of  days  is  in  her  right  hand;   and 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  PROVERBS 


149 


in  her  left  hand  riclies  and  honor.  Iler  ways  are  ways 
of  pleasantness,  and  all  her  paths  are  peace.  She  is 
a  tree  of  lif«  to  them  that  lay  hold  upon  her;  and  happy 
is  every  one  that  retaineth  her." 

Then  again,  in  chapter  8:10,  11  we  find:  "Receive 
ray  instruction,  and  not  silver;  and  knowledge  rather 
than  choice  gold.  For  wisdom  is  better  than  rubies; 
and  all  the  things  that  may  be  desired  are  not  to  be 
compared  to  it." 

And  in  verses  18-21  we  read :  *  *  Riches  and  honor  are 
with  me;  yea,  durable  riches  and  righteousness.  My 
fniit  is  better  than  gold,  .  .  .  and  my  revenue  than 
choice  silver.  I  lead  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  in  the 
midst  of  the  paths  of  judgment;  that  I  may  cause  them 
that  love  me  to  inherit  substance;  and  I  will  fill  their 
treasures. ' ' 

These  are  some  of  the  treasures  which  this  heavenly 
wisdom  has  to  bestow  upon  those  who  truly  seek  her. 

The  keynote  of  the  whole  lesson  was  given  in  Sol- 
omon's own  life.  He  had  the  wisdom  to  choose  wisdom 
and  wisdom  only,  and  God  added  to  him  all  the  things 
he  did  not  choose.  It  is  still  true  for  us  that,  if  we 
will  choose  the  Holy  Ghost,  He  will  become  to  us  the 
sum  and  substance  of  all  good  things. 

He  will  be  to  us  peace  and  happiness,  joy  and  rest, 
health  and  strength,  providence  and  protection,  guidance 
and  provision,  freedom  from  fear  and  care,  and  all  the 
gifts  and  blessings  which  God  can  bestow  upon  a  trust- 
ing heart. 

Like  the  widow's  pot  of  oil,  the  Holy  Spirit  in  us 
will  be  the  equivalent  of  everything  that  heart  can  de- 
sire or  life  can  need.  God  help  us  to  make  the  wise  and 
happy  choice,  and  have  all  in  Him  and  Him  in  all; 
and,  as  we  seek  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteous- 
ness, all  things  shall  be  added  unto  us. 

This  was  where  Solomon  began  his  illustrious  career. 
Happy  would  it  have  been  for  him  if  he  had  ended 


t 

•V 

■A 
••V 


150 


POWER   FROM  ON   HIGH 


I 


li;    j*' 
'  <        kite 

C 


wluTe  he  began.  Alas!  (Jod's  very  blessing  beepmo  a 
snare,  llis  heart  turned  away  from  the  source  of  all 
his  blessings  to  the  blessing  themselves.  His  afl'eetions 
were  set  on  the  things  that  surrounded  him,  his  wives, 
his  friends,  his  treasures,  perhaps  his  own  wisdom;  and 
he  sank  from  the  Creator  to  the  ereature,  from  the 
height  of  wisdom  to  the  depths  of  folly,  shame,  and 
.sorrow. 

Alas!  Moses  had  to  fail  to  show  that  the  law  made 
nothing  perfect,  and  Solomon  had  to  fail  to  show  that 
the  highe.st  wisdom  of  man  is  insufficient  for  the  child 
of  God.  Thank  God,  "a  greater  than  Solomon  is  here," 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  not  wisdom  but  Himself,  the 
wise  One;  not  holiness  but  Himself  the  Holy  One,  not 
our  best  but  Himself  within  us  to  be  His  best. 

Let  ns  receive  Christ  the  wisdom  of  God,  and  let  it 
be  true  of  u  hat  "of  him  are  ye  in  Christ  JesiLs,  who 
of  God  is  ra  anto  us  wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and 
sanctification,   and   redenii)tion." 

The  blessed  Holy  Ghost  is  waiting  to  bring  Him  into 
our  hearts,  and  to  reveal  Him  and  unfold  Him  in  our 
life,  the  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  the  Mighty  God,  the 
Everhistinu:  Father,  the  Prinee  of  Peace,  the  Light  of 
the  World;  and  "He  that  foUoweth  him  shall  not  walk 
in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life." 


m 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
THE  STILL,  SMALL  VOICE. 

"And  he  said,  Go  forth,  and  stand  upon  the  mount  before  the 
Lord.  And  behold,  the  Lord  passed  by,  and  a  great  and  strong 
wind  rent  the  mountains,  and  brake  in  pieces  the  rocks  before 
the  Lord;  but  the  Lord  was  not  in  the  wind:  and  after  the  wind 
an  earthquake;  but  the  Lord  was  not  in  the  earthquake:  and 
after  the  earthquake  a  fire;  but  the  Lord  was  not  in  the  fire:  and 
after  the  fire  a  still,  sniall  voice. 

"And  it  was  so,  when  Elijah  heard  it,  that  he  wrapped  his 
face  in  his  mantle,  and  went  out,  and  stood  in  the  entering  in  of 
the  cave.  And,  behild,  there  came  a  voice  unto  him,  and  said, 
What  doest  thou  here,  Hlijah?"— 1  Kings  19:  11-13. 

THIS  beautiful  expression,  **A  still,  small  voice," 
has  almost  eome  to   be  recognized   as  one  of  the 
names  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     Tlie  whole  scene  is  a 
fine  illustration  of  the  Spirit's  working  not  only  in  the 
ages  and  dispensations,  but  in  the  experience  of  every 
individual  heart. 

The  scene  is  a  most  dramatic  one.  Elijah  had  just 
reached  the  climax  of  his  marvelous  ministry.  In  that 
magnificent  scene  on  Carmel  we  behold  him  in  the  very 
zenith  of  his  career.  God  has  answered  his  faith  and 
prayer  by  the  descending  fire.  The  whole  nation  has 
been  swayed  at  his  will,  and  the  very  king  is  helpless 
as  a  child  at  his  bidding;  while  the  prophets  of  Baal, 
unable  to  resist  the  storm  of  popular  enthusiasm,  have 
been  swept  away  by  a  stroke  of  judgment.  Even  the 
very  heavens  that  have  been  closed  for  years  have  opened 
the  flood-gates  at  the  prophet's  command,  and,  like  a 
commander-in-chief  of  the  armies  of  earth  and  heaven, 
Elijah  has  led  the  victorious  procession  to  the  very  gates 
of  the  capital.  But  now  another  scene  occurs  as  dra- 
matic as  the  first. 

151 


* 

•% 


i 


10 


152 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


ji 


There  is  oue  other  lieart  iu  Israi;!  as  thoroughly  pos- 
sessed of  ihxi  tlevil  {US  Elijah  was  possessed  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  She  li^ars  the  atartliug  tidings  without  the 
quiver  of  a  musele  or  a  nerve,  and  with  a  face  of  iiint 
and  a  heart  of  steel,  she  speaks  but  one  sentence,  of 
fierce,  defiant  threatening,  "So  let  the  gods  do  to  me, 
and  more  also,  if  I  make  not  thy  life  as  the  life  of  one 
of  them  by  tomorrow  about  this  time."  It  was  a  well 
directed  shot  from  the  batteries  of  the  pit.  In  a 
moment  it  had  done  its  fearful  work,  and  the  prophet 
of  fire  was  broken  like  a  child.  There  is  something  al- 
most ludicrous  in  the  graphic  description  of  his  flight, 
"Elijah  arose  and  went  for  his  life";  nor  did  he  stop 
till  he  had  reached  the  utmost  confines  of  the  land,  away 
down  at  Beersheba.  Nor  even  there  did  he  linger,  but, 
leaving  his  servant,  he  hastened  on  across  the  desert, 
until,  exhausted  with  hunger  and  fatigue,  he  sank  on  the 
sand,  and  lay  down  beneath  a  juniper  tree  with  one 
gasp  of  hopeless  despair,  "Lord,  take  away  my  life; 
for  I  am  no  better  than  my  fathers." 

God  tenderly  nursed  and  cherished  Kis  weary  child, 
put  him  to  sleep,  then  awoke  him  and  fed  him  by  angel 
hands,  until  he  was  strong  enough  for  his  farther  jour- 
ney.   Then  He  sent  him  on  to  Horeb,  the  Mount  of  God. 

There,  on  some  mountain  crag  and  at  the  entrance 
of  a  cave,  he  waited  for  the  message  of  his  Lord.  His 
spirit  was  all  agitated  and  chafed.  He  felt  his  life 
was  a  failure,  and  he  longed  for  power  to  accomplish 
the  things  for  which  he  felt  unable.  Perhaps  he  even 
thought  that  if  he  could  rule  the  world  for  a  little  how 
different  things  would  be.  He  was  just  in  that  mood 
where  he  wanted  something  to  happen.  Anything  was 
better  than  this  silence,  and  the  very  war  of  the  elements 
would  seem  to  such  a  spirit  a  luxury  of  rest. 

It  was  not  long  before  his  thought  was  fulfilled,  and 
God  began  to  speak  to  him  through  the  voice  of  nature. 
First  came  the  migh.ty  earthquake,  heaving  the  solid 


THE  STILL,   SMALL  VOICE 


153 


ground,  tearing  the  rocks  asunder  and  making  the  <h's- 
ert's  bosom  heave  like  the  biUows  of  the  ocean,  till  it 
seemed  that  lie  himself  must  be  torn  from  his  resting 
place,  or  engulfed  in  the  awful  chasms  that  were  opening 
around  him  on  every  side.  But  he  looked  upon  the 
whole  scene  unmoved.  There  w^as  nothing  in  it  to  touch 
his  spirit;  the  earthquake  came  antl  went,  and  he  felt 
that  **the  Lord  w<is  not  in  the  earthquake." 

Next  came  the  wild  tornado,  tilling  tlii^  air  with  clouds 
of  sand,  sweeping  through  the  mountains,  and  tearing  the 
solid  rocks  from  their  base  and  hurling  the  forests  into 
the  abysses  below,  while  the  air  reverberated  with  the 
crashing  thunder,  and  quivered  with  the  awful  lightning. 
His  ears  were  stunned  with  the  tempest's  awful  roai'; 
but  through  all  the  wild  confusion  the  prophet  stood 
unmoved.  Perhaps  his  fierj'  spirit  was  even  rested  by 
the  elemental  war.  There  was  nothing  in  it  that  spoke  to 
his  deeper  heart.  The  whirlwind  passed;  but  "the  Lord 
was  not  in  the  whirlwind." 

Then  came  the  fire.  Perhaps  it  was  the  thunderbolt 
of  the  sky;  perhaps  it  was  some  flame  caused  by  the 
lightning  stroke,  kindling  the  forests  and  sweeping  over 
the  mountains,  with  fiery  blaze;  or,  perhaps,  it  was 
some  supernatural  and  awful  flame,  falling  from  the 
skies,  quivering  before  his  gaze  like  the  fire  that  came 
down  on  Sinai  ages  before,  when  JMoses  received  the 
law.  But  even  this  did  not  blanch  his  cheek  nor  move 
his  heart;  Hk.  ^azcd  upon  it  with  his  spirit  still  unbroken, 
and  his  heart  chafing  as  before.  And  then,  like  the 
hush  that  comes  before  the  storm,  or  like  che  emj^hatic 
pause  in  some  musical  strain,  there  came  an  awful  still- 
ness, and  there  fell  upon  his  oar  a  strange  and  "still, 
small  voice,"  or  as  the  New  Version  expresses  it,  *'A 
sound  of  gentle  stillness,"  softer  than  evening  bells, 
sweeter  than  a  mother's  tones,  gentler  than  music's  ten- 
derest  notes.  Perhaps  it  spoke  as  much  to  the  senses  of 
his  soul  as  to  his  outward  ear;  but  there  was  something 


154 


POWER  FROM   ON  HIGH 


in  it  so  deep,  so  tender,  so  penetrating  that  it  thrilled 
his  inmost  being.  It  broke  his  whole  spirit  into  tender- 
ness and  awe,  and,  gathering  his  mantle  about  him,  he 
crept  into  the  cave,  and  fell  upon  his  face  at  the  f(!ct 
of  God  to  listen  to  His  message.  The  fiery  heart  at 
length  is  subdued,  the  mighty  will  is  broken,  the  stern 
prophet  is  like  a  little  child. 
What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this  wondrous  drama? 


,ii 

*mt:t 


I. 

Elijah's  lesson. 

In  the  first  place,  it  has  a  meaning  for  Elijah  himself. 
He  needed  to  be  quiet,  he  needed  to  find  that  the  forces 
that  he  was  longing  for  were  not  the  highest  forces  at 
God's  command,  and  that  even  his  own  stern,  strong 
nature  needed  to  be  subdued  and  taught  the  deepest 
power  of  gentleness  and  love. 

n. 

ELIJAH  AND  ELISHA. 

Secondly,  it  had  a  yet  higher  meaning:  it  was  a  sort 
of  picture  of  the  two  ministries  of  Elijah  and  Elisha. 
His  was  but  a  temporary  dispensation ;  he  came  as  the 
winter  before  the  spring,  as  the  plow  before  the  sower. 
as  the  storm  before  the  shower.  His  was  the  ministry  of 
judgment  and  destruction.  But  the  sunshine  of  spring 
is  stronger  than  the  storms  of  winter,  and  the  little  seed 
that  drops  into  the  soil  is  mightier  than  the  plowshare 
that  digs  the  furrow  or  the  dynamite  that  blasts  the 
rocks.  So  the  gentle  ministry  of  Elisha  which  was  to  fol- 
low was  more  mighty  and  more  fruitful  than  all  the 
destructive  miracles  of  the  great  Elijah.  He  had  his 
place;  but  the  earthquake,  the  whirlwind  and  the  fire 
of  his  awful  judgments  had  to  pass  away,  and  **the 
still,  small  voice"  of  Elisha 's  gentler  teachings  and 
miracles  of  grace  had  to  come  instead. 


THE 

STILL, 

SMALL 

in. 

VOICE 

-1 
155 

THK  NEW  DISPENSATION. 

All 

this 

was  pr 

ophetic 

of  a  y 

et  higher 

era 

and  a 

grander  transaction.  For  Elijah  and  his  ministry  were 
typical  of  the  law  and  the  dispensation  of  Moses,  while 
Elisha  was  the  type  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  the 
Gospel  of  His  grace.  And  so  the  scene  on  Horeb  is  a 
representation  of  the  difference  between  Law  and  Grace, 
Judgment  and  Mercy,  the  Old  Dispensation  and  the 
New. 

God  had  alreac*-  proved  how  much,  or  rather  how 
little,  discipline  can  do  to  perfect  human  character  and 
lead  to  lasting  righteousness. 

All  that  suffering  and  chastening  can  accomplish  to 
purif}'-  a  people  was  done  for  ancient  Israel.  W^^t  can 
ever  surpass  the  pathetic  story  of  Israel's  fall,  dah's 
captivity,  and  Jerusalem's  doom?  But  alas !hov  ansi- 
tory  the  effect  upon  the  character  of  the  nation .  They 
wept,  they  suffered,  they  died,  they  left  the  awful  re  - 
ord  burned  into  the  very  heart  of  the  nation;  but  the 
ipxt  generation  went  on  repeating  the  sins  and  follies 
of  thpir  fathers,  and  Or  !  ould  only  cry  *'Wh.  should 
ye  be  s^  icken  any  mon?  ye  will  revolt  more  and  more. 
The  whol(  bend  is  sick,  and  the  whole  heart  is  faint. 
From  the  sole  of  the  foot  even  unto  the  head  there  is 
no  soundness  in  it ;  bui  wounds,  and  bruises,  and  putri- 
fying  sores." 

Thank  God,  there  is  a  better  way.  The  Gospel  of 
His  grace,  the  gentleness  of  His  love,  and  the  power 
of  His  Holy  Si  have  accomplished  what  law  and 

terror  never  coiud  while  they  wrought  alone.  *'The 
Btill,  small  voice"  of  Jesus'  love  is  mightier  than  all 
the  thunder  of  Mount  Sinai's  law,  or  Assyrian  or  Chal- 
dean armies.  The  law  made  nothing  perfect,  but  the 
bringing  in  of  a  better  hope  did.  **The  earthquake, 
the  whirlwind,  and  the  fire"  have  gone,  but  "the  still, 


li 


I!: 


fr 


156 


POWER  FROM   ON   HIGH 


small  voice"  of  Calvary  and  Pentecost  is  speaking  to 
the  hearts  of  millions,  and  speaking  them  back  to  God 
and  righteousness  and  heaven. 


u 


IV. 

THE  EXPERIENCE  OF  THE  INDIVIDUAL  SOUL. 

The  scene  at  lloreb  is  of  ten  repeated  in  our  individual 
life.  We,  too,  have  to  pass  through  the  earthquake,  the 
whirlwind,  and  the  fire  in  our  vain  search  "jr  God; 
and,  at  last,  we  find  Him  iis  the  still,  small  voice  in  the 
depths  of  our  soul.  Perhaps  the  experience  comes 
through  great  trial,  outward  or  inward  sufferings,  tests 
that  rend  our  very  heart  ajid  crush  our  spirit.  But  the 
suffering  has  no  saving  power.  The  human  heart  can  be 
torn  to  pieces,  and  yet  every  single  piece  be  as  full  of 
pride  and  rebellion  as  the  whole. 

It  needs  the  quiet  divine  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  change  the  heart  and  sanctify  the  soul.  Suffering 
without  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  saddest  thing  on  earth. 
Trials  unsanctified  are  like  the  lightning  strokes  that 
blight  but  cannot  bless. 

Sometimes  it  is  not  so  much  external  suffering  as 
a  struggle  within  the  secret  soul  itself  to  find  God  and 
peace.  Oh,  how  we  labor  and  long  and  try !  But  the 
best  result  of  all  our  struggles  is  to  show  their  own 
fruitlessness  and  to  lay  us  helpless  and  silent  before  the 
feet  of  Christ;  and  then  we  awake  in  the  arms  of  His 
love  and  power.  And  as  we  awake,  we  find  that  there 
is  so  little  in  the  new  experience  that  is  tangible  or 
strongly  marked.  In  fact,  the  most  frequent  experience 
is  to  find  that  we  really  have  come  into  nothingness. 
The  stillness  is  so  quiet  that  there  is  often  the  absence  of 
all  self -consciousness  and  feeling,  and  even  the  presence 
of  God  is  "a  still,  small  voice"  so  quiet  that  we  have 
to  hush  every  other  sound  before  we  can  hear  it. 

Indeed,   the   first   experience  is  often   one  of  great 


THE   STILL,   SMALL   VOICE 


157 


to 


emptiness,  bareness,  and  nothingness,  and  one  is  apt  to 
be  disappointed,  and  to  say,  "Is  this  all  that  is  meant 
by  the  rest  of  faith  ? ' '  But  we  soon  find  that  the  nothing- 
ness of  self  is  but  the  beginning  of  God's  all-sufficiency, 
and  as  wo  are  willing  to  rest  in  our  nothingness  and 
His  all-sufficiency,  we  soon  begin  to  know  the  sweetness 
and  the  power  of  that  voice. 


i^iii 


V. 
THE   HOLY   SPIRIT   AS  THE  VOICE  OP  GOD. 

The  keynote  of  all  this  wondrous  story  is  the  voice. 
The  earthquake  had  a  sound,  but  it  had  no  voice.  The 
tempest  and  whirlwind  could  make  a  mighty  noise,  but 
there  was  no  voice.  The  fire  could  speak  through  the 
sense  of  vision,  and  fill  the  soul  with  awe,  but  it  had 
no  voice  to  speak  to  the  heart.  But  "the  still,  small 
voice"  had  behind  it  an  intelligent  mind,  a  living  per- 
sonality, a  loving  heart,  and  it  was  mightier  than  all 
the  lifeless  forces  which  had  gone  before. 

Oh,  the  power  of  a  voice !  How  it  lingers  in  our  mem- 
ory !  How  certain  tones  arrest  our  attention  and  wake 
up  all  the  old  chords  of  the  past !  How  that  voice  speaks 
to  us  of  the  difference  between  nature  and  revelation, 
between  the  language  of  the  earth  and  sky,  and  the 
language  of  God's  precious  Word!  God  hath  spoken 
once  in  the  voice  of  creation,  but  it  is  only  like  the 
inarticulate  language  of  the  earthquake,  the  whirlwind, 
and  the  fire.  God  hath  spoken  a  second  time,  in  the 
voice  of  His  Holy  Word  and  His  blessed  Son,  and  this 
is  the  message  that  brings  light  and  life  and  salvation 
to  man. 

A  voice  is  more  than  a  message,  more  than  a  printed 
page,  more  than  even  an  inspired  book.  A  voice  means 
the  presence  of  the  person  who  speaks,  and  his  personal 
and  living  words  to  us.  And  so  God  speaks  to  us,  not 
only  in  the  Bible,  but  by  His  own  personal  voice.    His 


■!iii' 


i  ; 

I 


158 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


sheep  know  His  voice,  and  "a  stranger  will  they  not 
follow,  but  will  flee  from  him:  for  they  know  not  the 
voice  of  strangers." 

There  is  more  in  the  Bible  and  in  the  revelation  of 
Christ  than  merely  a  message  of  truth.  It  is  also  a 
personal  message  of  love.  He  has  a  special  voice  for 
every  one  of  His  children,  and  it  is  our  privilege  to 
know  His  voice. 

Oh,  how  that  voice  can  speak  to  us!  It  is  not  an 
audible  voice;  it  does  not  reach  our  outward  senses; 
it  would  not  be  possible  to  explain  to  a  stranger  how  it 
makes  itself  understood  in  the  heart;  but,  as  we  kneel 
in  prayer  and  ask  His  counsel,  as  we  come  with  our 
heavy-laden  hearts  and  throw  ourselves  upon  His  bosom 
for  comfort;  as  we  bring  our  petitions  and  wait  for  the 
whispered  answer,  how  it  speaks  to  us,  how  it  satisfies 
us,  how  it  identifies  itself  to  us,  and  makes  us  know 
"it  is  the  Lord"!  How  it  gives  its  approval  to  the 
plans  that  He  commends !  How  it  seals  the  promise  that 
is  suggested  to  the  mind,  and  lets  it  fall  upon  the  heart 
like  balm  upon  the  bleeding  wound  !  How  it  brings  home 
the  words  that  fall  from  the  speaker's  lips,  and  makes 
them  God's  living  messages  to  our  hearts!  How  it  em- 
phasizes every  word  we  read,  and  how  its  sweet  and 
heavenly  whisper  fills  all  our  inmost  being  with  peace 
and  joy  and  life,  until  our  glad  and  grateful  heart  can 
only  say,  "T  will  hear  what  God  the  Lord  will  speak; 
for  he  will  speak  peace  to  his  people  and  to  his  saints' 


:^ 


r 


c 
I 


, »» 


VI. 


THE  POWER  OP  GENTLENESS. 


The  New  Version  translates  this  phrase,  **The  sound 
of  a  gentle  stillness."  It  speaks  of  God's  gentleness. 
Gentleness  is  always  an  attribute  of  the  highest  natures. 
The  bravest  soldier,  the  loftiest  character,  is  always  the 


THE   STILL,   SMALL   VOICE 


159 


most  child-like,  simple  and  tender.  Jesus  Christ  was 
the  incarnation  of  meekness,  lowliness,  and  gentleness. 

The  apostle  used  this  as  his  strongest  plea  when  he 
besought  His  disciples  "by  the  meekness  and  gentleness 
of  Christ."  *'I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart"  was  the 
Master's  own  highest  claim.  And  this  was  but  th(3 
ancient  prophetic  picture.  "He  shall  not  strive  nor 
cry,  nor  cause  his  voice  to  be  heard  in  the  streets;  a 
bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break,  and  the  smoking  flax 
shall  he  not  quench." 

1  Is  there  a  sublimer  spectacle,  is  there  a  more  heart- 

moving  sight  in  all  history,  than  that  patient  Sufferer 
standing  in  the  judgment  hall  or  hanging  upon  the 
Cross  and  allowing  His  murderers  to  do  their  worst, 
answering  not  a  word,  "led  like  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter, 
and  as  a  sheep  before  the  shearers  is  dumb,  so  he  openeth 
not  his  mouth"!  The  Holy  Ghost,  the  Representative 
of  Christ,  also  is  gentleness  itself.  He  came  upon  Jesus 
as  the  Dove,  and  He  dwells  in  us  as  a  Monitor  so  kind, 
a  Comforter  so  tender,  that  we  can  only  "grieve"  and 
"vex"  Him,  but  we  cannot  make  Him  angry.  He  ap- 
peals to  our  obedience  by  His  sensitiveness  to  the  hurt 
that  we  can  give  Him.  Oh,  let  us  be  gentle  as  He; 
let  us  treat  Him  with  the  consideration  that  His  sensi- 
tiveness should  claim! 

He  will  not  force  an  entrance  to  our  heart.  He  will 
not  do  violence  to  the  freedom  of  our  will.  He  will  not 
compel  us  to  do  what  we  do  not  choose,  nor  to  surrender 
what  we  want  to  keep.  He  appeals  to  the  finest  motives 
of  our  being,  to  the  will  that  springs  from  our  deepest 
heart,  and  to  the  obedience  which  we  are  only  too  glad 
to  give. 

Let  us  imitate  His  gentleness ;  let  us  ask  Him  to  trans- 
late it  into  all  our  beings  until  we  shall  be  simple,  sen- 
sitive, considerate,  yielded,  lowly,  meek  and  child-like, 
**even  as  He."    Our  faces,  our  manners,  our  tones,  and 


*^-     i 


•WMMnHfl^-wiHmMMrMaH-tlhw 


160 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


I 


*3' 


the  whole  complexion  of  our  life  shall  be  the  blending 
of  the  spirit  of  the  Lamb  and  the  Dove. 


VII. 


THE    POWER    OP    STILLNESS. 


It  was  "a  still,  small  voice,"  or  "the  sound  of  a 
gentle  stillness. ' '  Is  there  any  note  of  music  in  all  the 
chorus  as  mighty  as  the  emphatic  pause?  Is  there  any 
word  in  all  the  Psalter  more  eloquent  than  that  one 
word,  "Selah,  (Pause)  "?  Is  there  anything  more  thrill- 
ing and  awful  than  the  hush  that  comes  before  the  burst- 
ing of  the  tempest  or  the  strange  quiet  that  seems  to  fall 
upon  all  nature  before  some  preternatural  phenomenon 
or  convulsion  ?  Is  there  anything  that  can  so  touch  our 
hearts  as  the  power  of  stillness? 

The  sweetest  blessing  that  Christ  brings  us  is  the 
Sabbath  rest  of  the  soul,  of  which  the  Sabbath  of  crea- 
tion was  the  type;  the  Land  of  Promise,  God's  great 
object  lesson.  There  is  for  the  heart  that  will  cease 
from  itself  "the  peace  of  God  that  passeth  all  under- 
standing"; "a  quietness  and  confidence"  which  is  the 
source  of  all  strength;  a  sweet  peace  which  "nothing 
can  offend " ;  a  deep  rest  which  ' '  the  world  can  neither 
give  nor  take  away."  There  is,  in  the  deepest  centre 
of  the  soul,  a  chamber  of  peace  where  God  dwells,  and 
where,  if  we  will  only  enter  in  and  hush  every  other 
sound,  we  can  hear  His  still,  small  voice. 

There  is,  in  the  swiftest  wheel  that  revolves  upon  its 
axis,  a  place  in  the  very  centre  w^here  there  is  no  move- 
ment at  all ;  and  so  in  the  busiest  life  there  may  be  a 
place  where  we  dwell  alone  with  God  in  eternal  still- 
ness. 

This  is  the  rTily  way  lo  know  God.  "Be  still,  and 
know  that  T  am  God."  "God  is  in  his  holy  temple; 
let  all  the  earth  keep  .silence  before  him." 

A  scoro  of  years  ago  a  friend  placed  in  my  hand  a 


lit 
m\ 

ni( 
tlij 
to 

I 

th< 

a 

un 


Hi 


THE  STILL,   SMALL  VOICE 


161 


little  book  which  became  one  of  the  turning  points  of 
my  life.  It  was  called  "True  Peace."  It  was  an  old 
mediaeval  message  with  but  one  thought,  whiiih  was  this 
that  God  was  waiting  in  the  depths  of  my  being  to  talk 
to  me  if  I  would  only  get  still  enough  to  hear  His  voice. 
I  thought  this  would  be  a  very  easy  matter,  and  so 
I  began  to  get  still.  But  I  had  no  sooner  commenced 
than  a  perfect  pandemonium  of  voices  reached  ray  ears, 
a  thousand  clamoring  notes  from  without  and  within, 
until  I  could  hear  nothing  but  their  noise  and  din. 
Some  of  them  were  my  own  voice,  some  of  them  were 
my  own  questions,  some  of  them  were  my  own  cares,  and 
some  of  them  were  my  very  prayers.  Others  were  sug- 
gestions of  the  tempter  and  voices  from  the  world's 
turmoil.  Never  before  did  there  seem  so  many  things 
to  be  done,  to  be  said,  to  be  thought;  and  in  every  direc- 
tion I  was  pushed,  and  pulled,  and  greeted  with  noisy 
acclamations  and  unspeakable  unrest.  It  seemed  neces- 
sary for  me  to  listen  to  some  of  them,  and  to  answer 
some  of  them,  but  God  said,  "Be  still,  and  know  that 
I  am  God."  Then  came  the  conflict  of  thoughts  for 
the  morrow,  and  its  duties  and  cares,  but  God  said, 
* '  Be  still. ' '  And  then  there  came  the  very  prayers  which 
my  restless  heart  wanted  to  press  upon  Him,  but  God 
said,  "Be  still."  And  as  I  listened  and  slowly  learned 
to  obey  and  shut  my  ears  to  every  sound,  I  found  after 
awhile  that  when  the  other  voices  ceased,  or  I  ceased 
to  hear  them,  there  was  a  still,  small  voice  in  the  depths 
of  my  being  that  began  to  speak  with  an  inexpressible 
tenderness,  power  and  comfort.  As  I  listened  it  be- 
came to  me  the  voice  of  prayer,  and  the  voice  of  wis- 
dom, and  the  voice  of  duty.  I  did  not  need  to  think  so 
hard,  or  pray  so  hard,  or  trust  so  hard,  but  that  "still, 
small  voice"  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  ray  heart  wns  God's 
prayer  in  my  secret  soul,  was  God's  answer  to  all  my 
questions,  was  God's  life  and  strength  for  soul  and  body, 
and   became   the   substance   of   all   knowledge,   and   all 


162 


POWER   FROM   ON   HIGH 


prayer,  and  all  blessing;  for  it  was  the  living  God 
Himself  as  my  Life  and  my  All. 

Beloved,  this  is  our  spirit's  deepest  need.  It  is  thus 
that  we  learn  to  know  God ;  it  is  thus  that  we  receive 
spiritual  refreshing  and  nutriment;  it  is  thus  that  our 
heart  is  nourished  and  fed;  it  is  thus  that  we  receive 
the  Living  Bread;  it  is  thus  that  our  very  bodies  are 
healed,  and  our  spirit  drinks  in  the  life  of  our  risen 
Lord,  and  we  go  forth  to  life's  conflicts  and  duties  like 
the  flower  that  has  drunk  in,  through  the  shades  of  night, 
the  cool  and  crystal  drops  of  dew.  But  as  the  dew 
never  falls  on  a  stormy  night,  so  the  dews  of  His  grace 
never  come  to  the  restless  soul. 

We  cannot  go  through  life  strong  and  fresh  on  ex- 
press trains,  with  ten  minutes  for  lunch.  We  must 
have  quiet  hours,  secret  places  of  the  Most  High,  times 
of  waiting  upon  the  Lord,  when  we  renew  our  strength 
and  learn  to  mount  up  on  wings  as  eagles,  and  then 
come  back,  to  run  and  not  be  weary,  and  to  walk  and 
not  faint. 

The  best  thing  about  this  stillness  is  that  it  gives  God 
a  chance  to  work.  "He  that  is  entered  into  his  rest, 
he  also  hath  ceased  from  his  own  works,  as  God  did 
from  his";  and  when  we  cease  from  our  works,  God 
works  in  us;  and  when  we  cease  from  our  thoughts, 
God's  thoughts  come  into  us;  when  we  get  still  from 
our  restless  activity,  God  worketh  in  us  both  to  will 
and  do  of  His  good  pleasure,  and  we  have  but  to  work 
it  out. 

Beloved,  let  us  take  His  stillness,  let  us  dwell  in 
"the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High,"  let  us  enter  into 
God  and  His  eternal  rest,  let  us  silence  the  other  sounds, 
and  then  we  can  hear  "the  still,  small  voice." 

There  is  another  kind  of  stillness,  the  stillness  that 
lets  God  work  for  us,  and  hold  our  peace;  the  stillness 
that  eeavses  from  its  contriving,  and  its  self-vindication, 
and  its  expedients  of  wisdom  and  forethought,  and  lets 


no 

a 

a 

So 


THE   STILL,   SMALL  VOICE 


163 


God  provide,  and  answer  the  unkind  word  and  the  cruel 
blow  in  His  own  unfailing,  faithful  love.  How  often 
we  lose  God's  interposition  by  taking  up  our  own  cause 
and  striking  for  our  own  defence. 

Never  shall  1  forget  a  little  scene  which  happened 
not  long  ago.  A  quiet  Christian  girl  was  sitting  at 
a  table  among  a  party  of  friends,  who  were  discnissing 
a  Christian  work  in  which  she  was  deeply  interested. 
Some  of  the  criticisms  were  very  severe,  and,  as  she 
thought,  unjust  and  unfair.  She  said  a  few  simple 
words  to  correct  the  statements;  but  then,  as  the  criti- 
cism, more  and  more  severe,  went  on,  she  simply  held 
her  peace.  1  saw  the  mantling  brow  and  the  tear  just 
springing  to  her  eyes,  and  I  thought  how  easy  it  would 
have  been  for  her  to  give  the  quick  reply,  and  answer 
just  as  sharply  as  she  might  have  done.  But  the  grac'e 
of  God  had  become  ascendant  in  that  young  heart;  the 
Holy  Ghost  was  on  the  Throne.  She  sat  in  silence,  and 
simply  suffered  and  waited.  After  a  few  moments  I 
saw  she  could  stand  the  struggle  no  longer,  and 
she  gently  and  lovingly  rose  and  left  the  table  and  went 
to  her  room  to  lay  her  burden  upon  the  bosom  for  her 
Saviour. 

In  a  moment  it  all  flashed  upon  the  other  person,  who 
loved  her  very  tenderly.  He  saw  how  he  had  wounded 
her;  he  knew  how  she  would  have  answered  months 
before.  The  sweetness  and  gentleness  of  her  spirit  cut 
him  to  the  very  heart,  and  taught  him  a  lesson  that  he 
was  manly  and  noble  enough  fully  to  acknowledge. 
Never  again  will  his  lips  utter  those  hasty  words,  and 
never  will  he  forget  that  spectacle  of  gentleness  and 
silence. 

It  was  her  best  vindication,  and  it  made  up  for  her, 
besides,  a  jewel  of  unfading  lustre  in  the  crown  above. 

There  is  no  spectacle  in  all  the  Bible  so  sublime  as 
the  silent  Saviour  answering  not  a  word  to  the  men  that 
were  maligning  Him,  and  whom  He  could  have  laid 


164 


POWER  FROM  ON   TTIOII 


Li 

t- 

u. 

,^- 

IBS* 


proslrnic  at  His  foot  I)y  ono  look  of  divino  powor  or 
cue  word  of  fiory  rebuk'n.  liut  II«'  let  them  say  ami 
do  their  worst,  and  lie  stood  in  the  power  of  stillness — 
God's  holy,  silent  Lamb. 

God  give  to  us  this  silent  power,  this  mighty  seli'-sur- 
render,  this  conquered  spirit  which  will  make  us  "more 
than  conquerors  through  Ilim  that  loved  us."  Let  our 
voice  and  our  life  speak  like  "thti  still,  small  voice"  of 
Iloreb  and  as  "the  sound  of  a  gentle  stillness."  And 
after  the  heat  and  strife  of  earth  are  over,  men  will 
remember  us  as  we  remember  the  morning  dew,  the 
gentle  light  and  sunshine,  the  evening  breeze,  the  Lamb 
of  Calvary,  and  the  gentle,  Holy,  Heavenly  Dov«. 


lia 


CIIAPTKR  XIV. 
Tlir.  I»0T  OF  OIL. 

**Tell  me:  what  hast  thou  in  the  houscf  And  sho  said,  Thine 
handmaid  hatli  not  anything  in  tlie  house,  save  a  pot  of  oil. 

' '  Then  he  said,  Go,  borrow  thee  vessels  abroad  of  all  thy 
neighbors,  even  empty  vessels;  borrow  not  a  few.  And  when 
thou  art  come  in,  thou  shalt  shut  the  door  upon  thee  and  upon  thy 
sous,  and  shalt  pour  out  into  all  those  vessels,  and  thou  shalt  set 
aside  all  that  which  is  full. 

"So  she  went  from  him,  and  shut  the  door  upon  her  and  upon 
her  sons,  who  brought  the  vessels  to  her;    and  she  j)Oured  out. 

"And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  vessels  were  full,  that  she  said 
unto  her  son,  Bri..g  njc  yet  a  vessel:  and  he  said  unto  her,  There 
is  not  a  vessel   more.     And  the  oil  stayed. 

"Then  sho  came  and  told  the  nxan  of  God:  and  he  said,  Go, 
sell  the  oil,  and  pay  thy  debt,  and  live  thou  and  thy  children 
upon  the  rest." — 2  Kings  4:  2-7. 


THE  events  of  Elisha's  life  are  more  like  those  of 
the  life  of  Christ  than  are  any  others  in  the  Old 
Testament.  Just  as  Elijah  represented  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  and  the  ministry  of  John  the  Baptist,  u 
ministry  of  judgment  and  fire,  so  Elisha  represented 
the  ministry  of  Jesus  Christ  in  its  gentleness,  benignity 
and  grace;  and  very  many  of  his  beautiful  miracles 
are  distinctly  parallel  to  the  miracles  of  our  Lord,  while 
they  preach  the  same  lesson  and  breathe  the  same  spirit 
of  love  and  graciousness. 

The  passage  before  us  is  a  striking  object  lesson  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  in  His  all-sufficiency  for  the  supplying 
of  every  source  of  need. 

I. 

HER    NEED. 

First,  we  have,  in  the  case  of  this  poor  widow,  an  ex- 
ample of  great  need.     Her  situation  was  one  of  debt, 

165 


166 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


(I auger,  distrqss,  and  of  aomplete  helplosfiness.  She 
had  no  one  to  go  to  but  God,  and,  unlesvs  delivered 
by  Him,  her  situation  must  have  become  one  of  the 
greatest  extremity.  It  represents  the  very  worst  and 
most  helpless  state  in  which  a  child  of  God  can  be  found. 
But  such  a  situation  is  often  the  greatest  blessing  that 
can  come  to  us,  because  it  throws  us  upon  God,  and 
compels  us  to  trust  in  the  all-sufficiency  of  Ilis  grace. 

Nearly  all  the  great  examples  of  faith  and  victorious 
grace  which  we  find  in  the  Scriptures  came  out  of  situa- 
tions of  extremity  and  distress.  God  lovos  hard  places, 
and  faith  is  usually  born  of  danger  and  extremity. 

It  was  thus  that  Jacob  was  transformed  from  Jacob 
to  Israel  in  the  conflict  at  Peniel.  It  was  thus  that 
Israel  was  awakened  to  claim  the  great  redemi)tion  from 
the  bondage  of  Egypt,  by  the  doubling  of  the  tale  of 
brick  and  by  the  heated  furnace  of  iron.  It  was  thus 
that  David  learned  to  know  his  God,  and  was  able  to 
testify,  "Thou  hast  known  ray  soul  in  adversity."  Let 
us  not  be  discouraged  by  difficulties,  nor  regard  them 
as  always  mi;ifortunes ;  but  rather  let  us  receive  them 
as  challenges  to  our  faith  and  opportunities  given  to  us 
by  our  God  to  show  that  there  is  nothing  too  hard 
for  II im. 

n. 

HER    RESOURCES. 

Was  there,  then,  nothing  left  for  her?  Was  she  en- 
tiivly  without  resources?  "Tell  me,  what  hast  thou 
in  the  house?"  And  she  answered,  "Thy  servant  hath 
nothing,  save  a  pot  of  oil."  To  her  that  seemed  nothing, 
and  yet  it  contained  the  supply  of  all  her  need.  God 
loves  to  utilize  and  economize  all  the  resources  which 
lie  has  already  given  to  us.  Just  as  a  master  workman 
can  do  a  great  deal  of  excellent  work  with  very  common 
tools,  so  God  can  work  with  very  simple  instruments; 
but   lie    wants    us   to    utilize   what    He   has   already 


THE   POT    OF   OIL 


167 


j^iven.  It  was  very  little  that  Moses  had,  but  that 
little  rod  was  sufficient  to  divide  the  Red  Sea  and  to 
break  the  power  of  Pharoah.  It  was  very  little  that 
the  lad  on  the  (Jalilean  shore  had  that  day;  but  his  tive 
loaves  and  two  small  fishes  were  sufficient  to  feed  the 
five  thousand,  when  they  were  given  to  Jesus  and  placed 
at  His  service.  Our  least  is  enough  for  God,  if  we  allow 
Him  complete  control. 

But  that  little  pot  of  oil  was  not  a  little  thing.  It 
represented  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  infinite 
attribute  of  God  Himself. 

We  need  not  stop  to  prove  that  oil  is  the  Scriptural 
symbol  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  little  vessel  of  oil 
represented  the  presence  and  the  power  of  the  Spirit, 
which  every  believer  may  have,  and  in  some  measure 
does  have,  and  which,  if  we  only  know  how  to  use  Him, 
is  equal  to  nvery  possible  situation  and  need  of  our 
Christian  life.  But  in  how  many  cases  is  this  an  un- 
realized power  and  an  unemployed  force? 

There  is  a  grim  story  told  of  a  poor  Scotchwoman  who 
went  to  her  pastor  in  her  extremity,  and  told  him  of 
her  poverty.  He  kindly  asked  her  if  she  had  no  friend 
nor  member  of  her  family  who  could  support  or  help 
her.  She  said  she  had  a  son,  a  bonny  lad,  but  he  was 
in  India,  in  the  service  of  the  government.  "But  does 
he  not  write  to  you?"  "Oh,  yt-s;  he  often  writes  me, 
and  sends  the  kindest  letters,  and  such  pretty  pictures 
in  them.  But  I  am  too  proud  to  tell  him  how  poor  I 
am,  and,  of  course,  1  have  not  expected  him  to  send 
me  money."  "Would  you  mind  showing  me  some  of  the 
pictures?"  said  the  minister.  And  so  Janet  went  to 
her  Bible,  and  brought  out  from  between  the  leaves  a 
great  number  of  Bank  of  England  notes,  laid  away  with 
the  greatest  care.  * '  These, ' '  she  said,  ' ' are  the  pictun^s. ' ' 
The  minister  smiled,  and  said,  "Janet,  you  are  richer 
than  I  am.  These  are  bank  notes;  and  every  one  o1 
them  might  have  been  turned  into  money,  and  you  might 

n 


168 


POWER   FROM   ON   HIGH 


11 
It 

Pi 

IK' 


have  had  all  your  needs  supplied.  You  have  had  a 
fortune  in  your  Bible  without  knowing  it." 

Alas,  beloved,  many  of  us  have  fortunes  in  our  Bibles 
without  knowing  it,  or  without  using  our  infinite  re- 
sources. The  Holy  Spirit  is  given  to  us  to  be  used  for 
every  sort  of  need;  and  yet,  with  all  the  power  of 
heaven  at  our  call,  many  of  us  are  going  about  in  star- 
vation, simply  because  we  do  not  know  our  treasure, 
and  do  not  use  our  redemption  rights.  *  *  Know  ye  not, ' ' 
the  apostle  asks  us,  *  *  that  your  body  is  the  temple  of  the 
Holy  Ghost?"  If  we  but  use  the  power  that  is  given 
within  our  breast,  behind  the  name  of  Jesus  and  the 
promises  of  God,  we  would  fail  no  more,  we  would  fear 
no  more,  we  would  no  more  be  a  reflection  upon  our 
Saviour  and  a  dishonor  to  His  name,  as  well  as  a  dis- 
couragement to  the  world,  but  we  would  rise  up  into 
victory,  and  cry,  *  *  Thanks  be  to  God,  who  always  causeth 
us  to  triumph,  in  Christ." 

What  is  the  difference  between  Japan  and  China  to- 
day ?  It  is  this :  while  Japan  has  learned  the  secrets  of 
modern  progress,  and  is  using  them  in  still  victorious 
warfare,  China  does  not  know  what  other  races  have 
learned.  What  is  the  difference  between  our  age  and 
the  age  of  our  grandfather?  It  is  simply  that  we  have 
learned  from  nature.  We  are  using  the  great  secrets 
of  steam,  electricity,  and  the  various  appliances  of 
practical  science  in  all  our  industrial  life,  so  that  one 
man  can  do  today  what  it  took  twenty  to  do  in  the 
days  of  our  fathers.  The  business  man  can  sit  in  his 
office  and  annihilate  both  space  and  time  as  he  talks 
through  his  telephone  to  the  most  distant  parts  of  the 
land,  and  through  his  phonograph  into  the  ears  of  the 
coming  generation. 

What  was  the  matter  with  Hagar  in  her  bitter  sor- 
row? Nothing  but  this;  she  could  not  see  the  fountain 
that  lay  so  near,  she  and  her  child  were  perishing  with 
thirst.    There  was  no  need  that  the  angel  should  create 


THE   POT   OF   OIL 


160 


a  fountain;    he  needed  only  to  open  Hagar's  eyes  and 
let  her  see  it  and  drink  of  it. 

There  was  no  need  that  God  should  make  a  spring 
of  sweetness  at  Marah's  waters;  all  that  was  needed 
was  to  show  to  Moses  the  branch  of  healing  that  was 
already  there.  As  he  plunged  it  into  the  waters  the 
people  were  healed. 

There  was  no  need  that  an  army  of  angels  should 
come  to  the  help  of  Elisha  on  the  mountainside.  The 
angels  were  already  there;  all  that  was  needed  was 
that  the  eyes  of  Elisha 's  servant  might  be  opened  to 
see  the  heavenly  army  that  surrounded  and  defended 
them.  In  like  manner  the  iountain  of  life  is  waiting 
for  us  to  drink;  the  waters  and  the  branch  of  healing 
are  at  hand,  the  angelic  army  are  all  around  us.  All 
we  need  is  to  see  them,  to  know  that  they  are  there,  to 
realize  our  redemption  rights,  and  then  to  claim  them  and 
triumph  in  His  name.  God  is  saying  to  us,  "Arise, 
shine;  for  thy  light  is  come."  Christ  has  appeared,  the 
Holy  Ghost  has  come,  and  all  that  we  need  to  do  is 
to  know  and  receive  and  use  the  great  divine  commis- 
sion. 

III. 


THE  CONDITIONS  OF  RECEIVING  AND  REALIZING  DIVINE  HELP. 

First,  she,  the  woman,  was  directed  to  make  room.  She 
must  get  vessels,  empty  vessels,  to  hold  the  supply 
which  was  about  to  be  revealed.  Our  greatest  need 
is  to  make  room  for  God.  Indeed,  God  has  to  make 
room  for  Himself  by  creating  new  vessels  of  need. 
Every  trial  that  comes  to  us  is  but  a  need  for  Him  to 
fill  and  an  opportunity  for  Him  to  show  what  He  can 
be  to  us  and  do  for  us.  But  it  is  not  enough  to  have 
need;  we  must  also  have  empties.  We  must  realize 
our  needs,  and  we  must  realize  that  He  alone  can  sup- 
ply them.     We  must  be  emptied  of  self-consciousness 


no 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


f       5 


It 
I 

li 


and  dependence  upon  man;    and  as  we  lie  fully  at  His 
feet,  He  will  prove 

''How  wise,  how  strong  His  hand." 

Again,  there  must  be  faith  to  count  upon  God  and 
go  forward  expecting  Him  to  meet  our  needs.  This 
woman  did  not  wait  till  the  oil  was  running  over  from 
her  little  pot ;  but  providing  the  vessels  in  advance,  she 
acted  as  though  she  had  an  unbounded  supply.  So  it 
was  that  the  disciples  had  to  go  forward  to  feed  the 
multitude  with  their  five  loaves  and  two  fishes,  and  had 
to  count  upon  the  supply  which  had  not  yet  appeared. 
"We  must  anticipate  God's  fulfillment  and  trust  Him 
sufficiently  to  pay  in  advance;  then  He  will  make  good 
our  expectations  in  His  glorious  and  ever-fiowing  grace. 

Again,  we  must  have  not  only  faith,  but  unselfish 
love.  These  were  borrowed  vessels.  The  needs  were 
not  all  her  own;  and,  no  doubt,  as  the  vessels  went 
home  they  did  not  go  home  empty.  God  loves  to  give 
to  us  when  we  are,  like  God,  receiving  that  we  may 
give  to  others. 

The  most  blessed  thing  about  the  blessed  God  must 
be  this,  that  He  has  no  needs  of  His  own;  but  that 
He  is  always  giving,  always  blessing,  and  always  seeking 
some  new  channel  through  which  to  bless  and  to  pour 
out  the  fullness  of  His  life.  If  we  would  receive  that 
fullness,  we,  God  like,  must  be  great  givers.  The  secret 
of  joy  is  to  want  nothing  for  ourselves,  to  be  rich  in 
dispensing  His  grace  and  blessing,  to  live  for  others,  and 
to  be  ever  filling  the  vessels  of  need  from  the  world 
around  us  with  the  overflowing  of  His  heart  and  of 
ours.  The  beauty  of  the  parable  of  the  friend  at  mid- 
nigiit  lies  chiefly  in  this,  that  he  wanted  the  loaves 
from  his  friend  that  he  might  give  them  to  another 
that  was  in  need.  Likewise,  when  we  come  for  grace  and 
help  to  the  helpless,  we  shall  find  that  God  will  open 


THE    POT   OF   OIL 


171 


the  windows  of  heaven  and  pour  us  out  a  blessing  until 
there  shall  not  be  room  to  receive  it. 

Again,  the  woman's  faith  was  necessary.  Slio  must 
show  it  by  beginning  to  pour  out  the  contents  of  the 
little  pot  into  the  larger  vessel.  As  she  poured,  the 
oil  continued  to  flow  and  overflow  until  every  vessel 
was  filled,  and  it  might  have  been  flowing  still  if  there 
had  been  room  enough  to  hold  its  multiplying  stream. 

So  faith  must  go  forward  and  act  out  its  confidence 
and  risk  itself  by  doing  something  and  putting  itself 
into  the  place  where  God  must  meet  it  with  actual  help. 
It  was  when  the  water  at  Cana  was  poured  out  that 
it  became  wine.  It  was  when  the  man  stretched  out 
his  hand  that  it  was  healed.  It  wavS  as  the  lepers  went 
on  their  way  that  they  were  made  whole.  It  was  as  the 
father  went  back  to  his  home  that  the  messenger  was 
sent  to  tell  him  that  his  son  was  alive. 

There  is  a  beautiful  expression  in  Hebrews,  to  the 
effect  that  the  ancient  fathers  were  persuaded  of  the 
promises  and  ''embraced  them,"  or  rather  as  the  new 
version  translates  it  "ran  to  meet  them."  Let  us  run 
to  meet  the  promises  of  God.  Let  us  measure  up  to 
them.  Let  us  act  our  confidence,  and  God  will  meet 
us  more  than  half  way  with  His  faithfulness  and  grace. 

There  is  yet  another  lesson,  the  most  important  of  all : 
"Go,  sell  the  oil,  .  .  .  and  live  thou  and  thy  children 
of  the  rest."  The  oil  was  but  the  representative  value, 
and  was  convertible  into  everything  that  she  could  need. 
It  was  equivalent  to  currency,  food,  houses,  clothes, 
lands,  anything  and  everything  that  possessed  value 
and  could  meet  her  need.  Thus  is  the  Holy  Ghost  con- 
vertible into  everything  that  we  can  require. 

There  are  parallel  passages  in  the  Gospels  of  Matthew 
and  Luke  which  teach  a  great  lesson.  In  the  one  passage 
it  reads,  "if  ye  then  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good 
gifts  unto  your  children ;  how  much  more  shall  your  heav- 
enly Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  him." 


172 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


:J;: 


.1- 


In  the  parallel  passage  in  the  other  Gospel,  instead  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  it  reads,  "Give  good  things  to  them  that 
ask  him."  That  is  to  say,  the  Holy  Ghost  gives  all 
good  things,  and  He  is  equivalent  to  anything  and  every- 
thing that  we  need.  Do  wt*  need  salvation?  He  will 
lead  us  to  Christ,  and  bring  us  to  witness  of  our  ac- 
ceptance. Do  we  need  peace?  He  will  bring  into  our 
hearts  the  peaces  of  God.  Do  we  need  purity?  He  will 
sanctify  us  and  "cause  us  to  walk  in  His  statutes,  and 
keep  His  judgments  to  do  them."  Do  we  need  strength? 
He  is  the  Spirit  of  power.  Do  we  need  light  ?  He  is  the 
Teacher  and  Counsellor  and  Guide.  Do  we  need  faith? 
He  is  the  Spirit  of  faith.  Or  love?  By  Him  "the  love 
of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts. ' '  Would  we  pray  and 
have  our  prayer  answered  ?  ' '  The  Spirit  itself  maketh  in- 
tercession within  us  with  groanings  which  cannot  be  ut- 
tered. ' '  Do  we  need  health  ?  He  will  quicken  our  mortal 
bodies  by  the  Spirit  that  dwell eth  in  us.  Do  we  need  cour- 
age ?  He  will  give  us  faith,  faith  that  shall  claim  the  sup- 
ply of  all  our  needs  by  believing  prayer.  Do  we  need  cir- 
cumstances changed  by  the  mighty  workings  of  God's 
providence?  He  is  the  Spirit  of  power.  The  hearts  of 
men  are  in  His  hands  and  He  can  turn  them  as  the 
rivers  of  water,  and  make  all  things  work  together  for 
good  to  them  that  love  God. 

He  is  the  Almighty  Spirit,  the  Great  Executive  of  the 
Godhead,  and  with  Him  in  our  hearts,  God  can  do  ex- 
ceeding abundantly  for  us  "according  to  the  power 
that  worketh  in  us." 

Oh,  let  us  use  the  Holy  Ghost,  not  merely  for  spells 
of  emotional  feeling  or  what  we  call  spiritual  experi- 
ence, but  in  the  whole  circle  of  our  life  as  the  Executor 
of  God,  the  all-sufficient  Lea  der  of  our  victorious  faith ! 

There  is  yet  another  lesson  taught  us  here;  namely, 
that  we  may  increase  and  multiply  the  effectiveness  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  in  our  lives,  by  wisely  using  the 
power  and  grace  He  gives  us. 


THE    I'OT    OF    OIL 


173 


The  idea  of  trading  with  our  spiritual  gifts  is  brought 
out  more  fully  in  the  New  Testament  in  the  great  parable 
of  the  pounds,  where  the  one  pound  that  represented, 
no  doubt,  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  increased  to 
ten  by  wise  and  profitable  use.  So  we  can  take  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  as  we  obey  Him  and  learn  to  use  Him, 
and  become  subject  to  the  great  laws  which  regulate 
His  operations,  we  shall  find  that  there  is  scarcely  a 
limit  to  the  extent  of  His  working  and  the  sufficiency 
of  His  power.  All  that  is  needed  is  room,  opportunity, 
vessels  of  need,  and  faith  to  go  forward  in  dependence 
upon  Him. 

The  oil  did  not  stop  until  the  woman  stopped;  God 
was  still  working  when  her  faith  reached  its  limit.  The 
same  God  is  working  still,  and  our  faith  will  stop  long 
before  His  willingness  and  His  resources  are  exhausted. 
Shall  we  trust  more  boldly?  Shall  we  recognize  every 
difficulty,  every  situation  which  conveys  an  opportunity 
of  proving  Him  yet  more  gloriously;  and  shall  we  go 
on  from  strength  to  strength  until  every  adversary  has 
been  subjected  and  compelled  to  help  us,  till  every  moun- 
tain of  difficulty  has  become  a  mountain  of  praise,  and 
every  hard  place  in  life  a  vessel  into  which  God  may 
pour  the  overflowing  fullness  of  His  all-sufficiency? 

Beloved,  as  we  step  out  into  the  future,  shall  we  for- 
get the  experiences  we  have  had  and  press  on  to  higher 
and  greater?  Shall  we  leave  the  vessels  that  have  been 
satisfied,  and  bring  new  vessels  for  him  to  fill  ?  Shall  we 
Forget  the  blessings  we  have  had  from  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  think  rather  of  those  we  have  not  yet  had?  And 
shall  we  go  on  to  prove  His  mighty  promise,  **I  will 
open  the  windows  of  heaven  and  pour  you  out  a  blessing 
until  there  shall  not  be  room  enough  to  receive  it"? 


CHAPTER  XV. 


THE   VALLEY  OF  DlrCIlES. 


!!r 


I 


:  i' 


"Thus  aaith  the  Lord,  Make  this  valley   full  of  ditches, 
"For  thus  saith  the  Lord,  Yo  shall  not  see  wind,  neither  shall 

ye  see   rain;     yet  that   valley  shall   be  filled   with   water,   that  yc 

may  drink,   both  ye,  and  your  cattle,  and  your  beasts. 

"And  this  is  but  a  light  thing  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord:    Ho 

will   deliver  the  Moabites   also   into  your  hand. ' ' — 11.   Kings  3 : 

16-18. 

THIS  is  another  of  Elisha's  parabolic  miracles;    for 
it   was   both   a  parable   of   divine  teaching   and  a 
miracle  of  divine  working.     It  is  full  of  practical 
lessons  about  the  Holy  Spirit  in  our  lives. 

I. 

A    GREAT    EMERGENCY. 

First,  we  see  a  great  emergency.  The  king  of  Israel 
and  the  king  of  Judah  had  united  in  a  campaign  against 
the  IMoabites.  and  in  marching  through  the  wilderness 
they  had  come  into  great  straits.  Their  water  supply 
was  cut  off,  and  they  were  in  danger  of  perishing  of 
thirst.  This  may  represent  any  hard  ])laces  in  our  lives. 
Such  an  emergency  is  God's  opportunity  of  blessing,  and 
is  the  only  way  by  which  many  of  us  can  ever  be 
brought  to  realize  the  fullness  of  divine  grace. 

There  was  a  peculiarity,  however,  in  this  trying  situa- 
tion to  one  of  the  party  at  least.  To  Jehoshaphat,  the 
king  of  Judah,  it  was  a  trouble  that  he  had  brought 
upon  himself,  and  he  had  no  one  else  to  blame  for  his 
ill  fortune.  Because  he  had  hastily  and  generously 
formed  an  unholy  alliance  with  a  wicked  king,  he  was 
suffering  on  account  of  his  forbidden  act.  As  God 
has  warned  us  to  have  no  fellowship  with  wicked  men, 

174 


TUK   VALLKV  OF  DITCHES 


175 


we  never  can  (li.s()l)cy  this  commandment,  either  by  mixed 
marriages  or  by  business  partnerships,  without  suifer- 
ing   in   consequence. 

We  see  at  once  the  difference  between  a  wicked  man 
and  a  child  of  God.  In  his  extremity  the  wicked  king 
of  Israel  gave  up  in  despair,  and  never  once  thought 
of  turning  to  God  for  help.  He  uttered  a  hopeless  cry, 
and  said  practically,  "God  has  brought  us  here  to  de- 
stroy us."  That  is  the  way  ungodly  men  look  at  their 
troubles. 

In  contrast  with  him,  Jehoshaphat  at  once  thought  of 
God  and  called  for  Ilis  servant  and  His  message.  No 
matter  how  trying  our  situation,  no  matter  how  much 
to  blame  we  ourselves  are  for  it,  let  us  always  go  at 
once  with  it  to  God,  and  seek  His  direction  and  de- 
liverance ;  and  we  shall  never  seek  in  vain. 

Jehoshaphat  called  at  once  for  the  prophet  of  the 
Lord.  It  was  a  prophet  he  wanted.  lie  was  willing 
to  hear  God's  message  and  to  take  God's  way  of  de- 
liverance. It  is  so  beautiful  to  find  that  the  prophet 
was  there.  Elisha  was  the  beautiful  type  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  the  ever  present  Christ.  Unlike  Elijah,  who 
was  the  prophet  of  judgment  and  represented  the  law, 
Elisha  was  always  among  the  people,  helping  the  poor 
widow  in  her  poverty,  the  students  on  the  banks  of  the 
Jordan  when  the  axe  went  off  the  handle,  and  even  the 
army  of  his  country  when  on  this  laborious  and  danger- 
ous expedition.  He  represented  that  God  who  is  always 
within  our  call  and  a  God  at  hand.  The  very  meaning 
of  the  word  Paraclete  or  Advocate  is,  One  near  by, 
One  we  can  call  to  our  side  and  call  upon  in  every 
time  of  need.  Let  us  bring  Him  all  our  burdens;  let 
us  cast  upon  Him  all  our  care;  let  w^  use  Him  for 
every  emergency,  and  prove  His  all-sufficiency  in  every 
time  of  need. 


]7(i 


POWEH   FJIOM   ON   HIGH 


II. 


V. 

I? 

.1 


PREPARATION. 

We  next  see  the  pr-eparution  for  God's  deliverance. 
First,  Elisha  called  for  a  minstrel.  You  know  that  this 
minstrel  represented  the  spirit  of  praise.  Our  prayers, 
too,  should  always  begin  with  praise.  If  our  difficulties 
and  dangers  be  met  with  a  song  of  believing  triumph, 
we  shall  find  God  ready  to  echo  it  back  with  the  song 
of  deliverance.  When  we  cannot  pray,  it  is  a  good 
time  to  praise. 

Next  came  the  divine  message,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord." 
God  must  be  heard  in  this  matter,  His  voice  must  be 
listened  to,  His  message  received,  and  His  way  adopted. 
When  trouble  comes  w^e  usually  run  in  every  other 
direction  first,  get  everybody  else's  advice  and  help,  and 
then  at  last  think  of  appealing  to  heaven. 

The  first  thing  in  trouble  is  to  hearken  and  ask,  "What 
saith  the  Lord?"  What  lesson  is  He  teaching?  What 
rebuke  is  He  sending?  What  direction  is  He  giving? 
What  way  of  escape  would  He  have  us  take?  God 
has  always  one  way  out  of  every  difficulty,  and  only 
one. 

Next,  they  must  make  room  for  the  coming  blessing. 
**Make  this  valley  full  of  ditches."  One  would  have 
supposed  that  the  valley  was  deep  enough  without  the 
ditches.  But  the  valley  was  there  anyhow;  the  ditches 
must  be  ma/le  on  purpose.  It  is  possible  to  have  need 
of  God  and  not  have  room  for  God.  These  ditches 
represent  special  preparation  and  the  opening  of  the 
channels  of  faith  to   receive  the  blessing. 

What  is  a  ditch?  It  is  a  great,  ugly  opening  in  the 
ground.  There  is  nothing  oraamental  nor  beautiful  about 
it;  it  is  just  a  void  and  empty  space,  a  place  to  hold 
water.  How  shall  we  open  the  ditches  for  God  to  fill  ? 
By  bringing  to  Him  our  needs,  our  failures,  the  great 
rents  and  voids  and  broken  up  places  in  our  lives.     It 


THE  VALLEY  OF  DITCHES 


177 


is  a  good  time  at  the  commencement  of  another  year 
to  think  of  the  places  where  we  have  come  short,  and  the 
needs  in  our  hearts  that  have  not  yet  been  supplied. 
Let  us  bring  them  to  Ilira,  and  like  the  widow's  vessels, 
He  is  able  to  fill  them  all. 

The  answer  must  be  claimed  by  simple  faith.  *'Ye 
shall  not  see  wind,  neither  shall  ye  see  rain,"  said  the 
prophet,  "yet  that  valley  shall  be  filled  with  water." 
There  was  to  be  no  outward  demonstration,  but  it  was 
to  come  quietly  and  without  observation.  This  is  the 
way  God  loves  to  bless  us,  and  this  is  the  way  that 
faith  must  always  receive  the  blessing.  This  is  not, 
however,  the  way  that  unbelieving  man  likes  to  have 
it  come.  He  would  like  to  see  wind  and  rain,  and  have 
a  great  display  of  outward  circumstances ;  then  he  would 
be  able  to  believe  in  the  coming  of  the  water.  "Except 
ye  see  signs  and  wonders,  ye  will  not  believe,"  was  the 
Master's  reproof  in  His  own  day;  and  it  is  as  pertinent 
today  as  ever. 

Faith,  however,  is  "the  substance  of  things  hoped  for, 
the  evidence  of  things  not  seen,"  and  it  loves  to  claim 
the  promise  and  rest  in  the  Promiser,  allowing  II im 
to  bring  the  answer  in  His  own  way  and  time,  and 
counting  upon  it  as  though  it  were  already  a  present 
fact.  Shall  w^e  thus  trust  our  God  and  learn  to  walk 
by  faith  and  not  by  sight? 


III. 

THE   DIVINE   ANSWER. 

The  divine  answer  was  not  long  in  coming.  With  the 
morning  light,  lo!  the  ditches  had  disappeared  and  the 
valley  was  filled  with  water,  reflecting  the  crims^m  hills 
of  Edom  from  its  glassy  bosom,  and  looking  to  the 
Moabites  as  pools  of  blood. 

It  was  water  that  came,  and  only  water.  That  wa.s 
all  they  wanted.     Water  was  the  symbol  of  the  Holy 


178 


POWER  FROM   ON   HIGH 


P; 
It' 

I? 

pet 

t, 

J? 


Ghost,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  is  all  we  want  in  ">ur  ex- 
tremity and  need,  lie  will  be  to  us  answered  prayer, 
tempond  provision,  spiritual  supply,  and  all  things  per- 
taining to  life  and  godliness. 

Notiee  again  that  when  the  water  came,  the  ditches 
disappeared  from  view.  Likewise,  when  the  Holy  Ghost 
comes,  our  needs  will  be  supplied,  and  the  very  remem- 
brance of  our  sorrow  and  distress  will  leave  us.  So  long 
as  you  are  looking  at  the  ditches  and  thinking  of  your 
desperate  nc^d,  you  are  not  filled  with  water.  God 
wants  so  to  fill  you  that  n(^  will  even  obliterate  the 
remembrance  of  your  sin  and  sorrow,  and,  as  Job  beauti- 
fully expressed  it,  you  will  remember  your  misery  as 
waters  that  pass  away. 

Again,  when  the  water  came  there  was  enough,  not 
only  for  them  to  drink  but  also  for  their  cattle  and  their 
beasts;  so  when  God  fills  your  life  with  the  Holy  Spirit, 
the  blessing  overflows  not  only  to  every  person  around 
you,  l)nt  the  very  beasts  that  serve  you  will  be  the  better 
for  your  blessing.  That  truckman  was  not  far  astray 
when  he  said  that  his  horse  and  his  dog  knew  that  he 
had  been  converted.  Oh,  the  groans  of  the  irrational 
creation  around  us  that  are  ever  going  up  to  God,  because 
of  man's  sin.  Oh,  the  blessing  that  will  come  to  the 
whole  universe  when  man  receives  his  Saviour  and  be- 
comes prepared  to  be  the  lord  of  this  lower  crea- 
tion! 

There  is  a  very  remarkable  expression  used  respecting 
this  glorious  miracle  of  divine  grace  and  bounty.  ''This 
is  but  a  light  thing  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord."  This 
wonderful  blessing  was  not,  in  God's  estimation,  any- 
thing extraordinary  nor  at  all  hard  for  him  to  do.  Nor 
is  it  a  groat  or  difficult  thing  for  Him  to  baptize  you 
and  me  with  the  Holy  Ghost  till  all  our  wants  are  sup- 
plied and  all  our  being  is  filled  with  His  blessing.  We 
are  constantly  thinking  of  it  as  though  it  cost  Him  some 
great  effort.     Thousands  of  Christians  are  looking  for- 


THE   VALLKV  OF  DITCHES 


179 


ward  to  it  at  a  Rn'nt  distance  as  the  culrninatinff  point 
of  life.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  but  a  lipiit  thinp  for 
God  to  do,  and  is  intended  to  mark  rather  the  begin- 
ning than  the  close  of  a  career  of  usefulness. 

The  great  purpose  of  Christ's  coming  was  "that  we, 
being  delivered  out  of  the  hand  of  our  enemies  might 
serve  him  without  fear,  in  righteousness  and  holiness 
before  him," — not  the  last  days,  but  "all  the  days  of 
our  life.  It  is  not  our  preparation  for  heaven  but  our 
preparation  for  life. 

IV. 
THE  GREATER  BLESSING. 

Next  comes  God's  deliverance  and  the  greater  blessing 
which  He  has  for  them.  "This  is  but  a  light  thing  in 
the  sight  of  the  Lord :  he  will  deliver  the  ^Ioabiti>s  also 
into  your  hand."  This  was  the  great  purpose  of  their 
campaign  and  the  design  of  God  in  drlivering  them  in 
their  peril,  that  they  might  go  forward  and  conquer 
their  enemies  and  His.  This  also  is  God's  purpose  in 
our  sanctification. 

He  does  not  give  us  the  Holy  Ghost  that  we  should 
receive  a  clean  heart  merely,  and  then  spend  our  lives 
complacently  looking  at  it  and  telling  people  about  it, 
but  that  we  should  go  forth  in  the  power  of  His  Spirit 
and  His  indwelling  life,  to  conquer  this  world  for  Him. 
We,  too,  have  a  gre^.l  foe  to  face  and  a  great  trust  to 
fulfill.  We  are  sent  '  ■  f^onquer  the  world,  the  flesh,  and 
the  devil,  and  to  gi"*  .  the  Gospel  to  the  whole  inhabited 
earth.  It  is  a  shame  that  thousands  of  Christians  should 
spend  their  lives  without  even  claiming  this  baptism; 
and  it  is  a  far  greater  shame  that  thousands  more  should 
be  occupied  all  their  days  in  getting  a  satisfactory  in- 
terest in  Christ  and  an  experience  of  sanctification. 

What  would  you  think  of  the  gardener  who,  after 
spending  five  years  in  planting  an  orange  grove  in 
Florida,  in  watering,  pruning,  and  cultivating  it,  should 


180 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


I? 


then  find  that,  lie  has  to  spend  a  quarter  of  a  century 
more  keopin^  the  plants  in  a  healthy  condition,  without 
any  return  of  fruit?  You  woidd  certainly  think  it  a 
poor  investmert.  It  is  all  right  to  spend  a  while  in 
getting  your  orchard  ready ;  but  you  expect  this  to  end 
some  day,  and  the  trees  will  begin  to  do  something' 
better  than  grow,  even  to  reward  your  labors  with  tli(? 
abundant  harvest. 

What  would  you  think  of  the  manufacturer  who  took 
all  the  trouble  to  set  up  a  water  wheel,  and  a  lot  of 
machinery,  and  then  simply  amused  hinLself  with  haviiij^ 
the  wheel  turn  round,  without  driving  any  machinery, 
or  doing  any  practical  work?  God  must  get  very  tired 
of  everlastingly  keeping  us  in  repair.  Surely  he  has 
a  right  to  ei'pect  that  the  time  of  fruit  will  {'ome.  God 
help  us,  beloved,  to  get  at  things  and  to  stay  at  them. 
Keep  your  engine  out  of  the  repair  shop.  Get  it  in 
working  order  as  <'uickly  as  you  can,  and  then  ask  God 
to  put  an  expret>.s  train  behind  it,  and  l«t  it  run  and 
carry  its  precious  freight  on  the  great  highway  of  His 
holy  will. 

It  is  verj  miserable  work  to  be  always  getting  sancti- 
fied, and  it  is  very  unworthy  of  God's  infinite  grace 
and  power.  Let  us  get  into  conflict  and  victory  and 
agressive  work  for  God  and  this  lost  world,  and  He 
will  sur*'ly  deliver  our  enemies  into  our  hand,  and  make 
us  more  than  conquerors  through  Him  that  loved  us. 
And  then  we  shall  find  that  the  using  of  our  blessing 
is  the  best  way  to  loeep  it,  and  the  running  of  the  wheel 
is  the  surest  means  of  keeping  it  from,  falling. 


V. 


THOROUfill   AND   FINISHED   WORK. 

They  were  commanded,  as  soon  as  they  had  conquered 
the  Moabites,  to  do  thorough  work,  to  smite  every  fenced 
city,  to  spread  stonos  upon  every  fertile  piece  of  land, 


THE  VALLEY  OF  DTTOHTCS 


181 


baueti- 

grace 

'  anil 

1(1    lie 

make 

n\  us. 

wheel 


t'eii(^c<i 
ianil, 


and  to  fill  up  evory  well  of  water,  leaving  the  land  deso- 
late and  H.»rthU^s.  It  was  simply  an  iUnstration  of 
thorough   and    ••orapleted    work. 

Wben  G«v!  begins,  to  work  for  us,  it  is  time  for  us 
to  work  for  Him.  and  our  work  should  be  as  thorough 
as  ilis.  It  is  all  folly  for  us  to  sit  down  and  fold  our 
ajans,  and  say,  "God  will  do  it."  We  must  work  out 
our  own  salvation,  all  the  more  because  it  is  God  that 
worketh  in  us. 

When  David  heard  "a  sound  of  going  in  the  tops 
of  the  mulberry  trees,"  it  was  the  very  time  for  him 
to  bestir  himself  and  do  His  best,  for  God  had  gone 
out  before  him  to  deliver  his  enemies  into  his  hand. 
When  we  see  the  almighty  working  of  our  God,  it  is 
the  \('ry  time  for  us  to  stir  ourselves  up  to  faithful 
co-operation  and  thorough  work. 

It  'vas  the  failure  of  Israel  to  do  thorough  work  that 
last  them  the  blessing  which  Joshua's  conquest  secured. 
They  left  some  of  their  enemies  in  the  land,  and  in  due 
time  this  remnaiil  became  their  roasters.  It  is  very 
foolish  for  us  to  leave  a  vestige  or  a  trace  of  evil  behind 
us.  Let  us  do  thorough  work  in  our  repentance,  in  our 
obedience,  in  our  sanctification,  in  our  divine  healing, 
in  our  service  for  God. 

How  foolish  it  is  for  the  builder  to  rear  the  costly 
walls  and  leave  them  unroofed;  the  elements  will  soon 
crumble  the  unprotected  masonry  to  a  heap  of  worth- 
less ruins.  Let  us  finish  our  work  day  by  day.  Let 
everything  we  say  and  do  be  as  thorough  and  complete 
as  the  finished  measure  of  the  musical  melody  and  har- 
mony, without  which  the  rest  of  the  note  would  be  thrown 
away.  So  let  us  live  from  day  to  day,  that,  when  the 
close  shall  come,  we  shall  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  go 
to  our  reward  and  say  with  our  departing  Master, 
"Father,  I  have  glorified  thee  upon  the  earth,  I  have 
finished  the  work  which  thou  gavest  me  to  do." 

Beloved,   it  is  a  time  of  God's  mighty  working  in 


•182 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


J*. 


^ 


I 


the  world  and  among  the  nations.  Let  it  stimulate  us 
to  arouse  ourselves  to  holy  action,  and  to  co-operate  with 
Him  in  His  mighty  piirpos(^  of  preparing  the  world 
for  the  speedy  return  of  His  dear  Son,  our  blessed 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ, 

There  is  "a  sound  of  going  in  the  mulberry  trees," 
and  the  Lord  has  gone  up  before  us.  Let  us  bestir 
ourselves,  and  haste  the  day  of  our  Master's  coming 
and  the  cry  of  victory  around  the  world  and  from  the 
ranks  above,  * '  AUeluiah ;  for  the  Lord  God  omnipotent 
reign  eth." 

As  Dr.  Chalmers  has  so  wisely  said,  ''Let  us  trust 
as  if  all  depended  upon  God,  but  let  us  work  as  if  all 
depended  upon  ourselves 


>> 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
THE  SPIRIT  OF  INSPIRATION. 


>> 


"No  prophecy  of  the  scripture  is  of  any  private  interpretation. 

"For  the  prophecy  came  not  in  old  time  by  the  will  of  man: 
but  holy  men  of  God  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy 
Ghost."— 2  Peter  1:20,  21. 

THIS  passage  directs  our  attention  to  the  inspiration 
of  the  ancient  prophets,  and  to  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  revealing  the  will  of  God  to  His  chosen 
messengers.  Go:',  at  sundry  times  and  divers  manners 
spake  to  our  fathers  by  the  prophets. 

Divine  revelation  began  in  Eden,  and  God  has  never 
ceased  to  maintain  communication  with  His  devoted 
subjects.  In  the  antediluvian  and  patriarchial  dispen- 
sations He  spake  at  intervals  to  particular  men,  reveal- 
ing His  will  to  them ;  but  from  the  time  that  He  called 
Moses  to  lead  the  chosen  people  out  of  Egypt,  He  has 
had  a  special  class  of  messengers  through  whom  He  has 
revealed  His  will  to  His  people.  These  have  been  called 
the  prophets  of  the  Lord.  Moses  was,  perhaps,  the  firat 
of   them. 

In  the  fourth  chapter  of  P^xodus,  God  distinctly  calls 
him  to  this  special  ministry.  "Now,  therefore,  go,"  He 
says,  "and  I  will  be  with  thy  mouth,  and  teach  thee 
what  thou  shalt  say."  When  afterwards  He  appointed 
Aaron  to  be  His  spokesman,  He  added,  "Thou  shalt 
speak  unto  him,  and  put  words  in  his  mouth :  and  I  will 
be  with  thy  mouth,  and  with  his  mouth,  and  will  teach 
you  what  ye  shall  do.  And  he  shall  be  thy  spokesman 
unto  the  people:  and  he  shall  be,  even  he  shall  be  to 
thee  instead  of  a  mouth,  and  thou  shalt  be  to  him 
ins1;(;ad  of  God." 

183 

12 


]84 


POWEB  FBOM  ON   HIGH 


Moses  re//)gaiz('f\  himsulf  as  a  prophet,  and  said  of 
his  Antitype',  "A  frf ophel  shall  the  Lord  your  God 
raise  np  unto  you,  of  your  brethren,  like  unto  me ;  him 
shall  yo  hear." 

The  next  great  prophet  was  Samuel.  Like  Moses  he 
also  appeared  at  a  special  crisis  in  the  history  of  his 
I)eople.  They  had  been  for  centuries  in  the  deepest 
declension  and  distress.  Like  Luther,  God's  instrument 
iu  the  Reformation  of  our  own  time,  God  sent  him  t<» 
yall  Israel  back  to  Himself.  The  call  of  Samuel  w^ts 
most  marked  and  his  ministry  most  important.  Iji 
[.  >Samuel  3: 19-21,  we  read  concerning  him,  "The  Lord 
wag  with  him,  and  did  let  none  of  his  words  fall  to 
the  ground.  And  all  Israel  .  .  .  knew  that  Samuel 
was  est.ibli.shed  to  a  prophet  of  the  Lord.  And  the 
Lord  appeared  again  in  Sliiloh :  for  the  Lord  revealed 
himself  t    Samuel  in  Shiloli  by  the  Avord  of  the  Lord." 

Ind  .'d,  Samuel  was  really  tlir  founder  of  the  pro- 
phetic institutions  and  the  schools  of  the  prophets  whieli 
from  hii*  time  we  find  in  Israel.  No  nobler  race  of  men 
ever  lived  than  the  proph<'ts  of  Israel.  The.\  w<^re  the 
only  class  that  was  true  to  God.  The  kings,  with  h  few 
excej^tions,  were  disastrous  failures;  and  even  the  priest 
hood  became  subservient  to  a  corrupt  throne  and  a  god- 
less jKipulace.  But  the  jirophets  were  God's  true  rep- 
resont.it Ives  and  witnesses,  and  stood  for  righteousness 
and  godlines*  in  the  darkest  ages  of  God's  ancient 
people. 

When  Savu  failed  to  ra'^et  Ihe  purpose  of  hi?  high 
caliir.g,  Samuel  was  still  true  to  Jehovah.  When  David 
sank  in  his  double  crime,  Nathan  was  there  to  reprove 
him  and  to  bring  him  the  message  of  Jehovah.  When 
Solomon  allowed  his  heart  to  be  turned  away  from  God, 
the  prophet  Abijah  was  there  to  bear  God's  message  of 
warning,  and  to  tell  Jeroboam  what  God  was  about  to 
do  in  rending  the  kingdom  asunder.  When  Rehoboam 
succeeded  his  father  and  was  about  to  ruin  his  kingdom 


1 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  INSPIRATIOX 


185 


i  of 

God 
him 

^s  he 
E  his 
epest 
inent 
in  to 
I  was 
,  In 
Lord 

clll    t(. 

amuel 
d  th(5 
vealed 
iord. ' 
e  pro- 
which 


thv 
few 
riest 

I  god- 

usiiess 
lu'ieitit 


J  high 
David 
('prov<' 
AVheu 
God, 
iuge  of 
)out  to 
liohoam 
iiigdom 


in  presumptious  recklcssnoss,  the  proplirt  Sheniaiali  was 
ready  to  carry  God's  message  In  him  and  arrest  liim 
in  his  reckless  purpose.  When  Jeroboam  had  asctMided 
the  thront)  of  Iracl  and  reared  his  idolatrous  altars  at 
Dan,  there  was  a  prophet  of  the  Lord  ready  to  stand 
before  him  and  to  warn  him  of  God's  judgment  because 
of  his  idolatry.  When  tlie  wicked  Baasha,  king  of  Israel, 
had  filled  his  cup  of  sin,  God  had  His  servant,  Jelm 
the  prophet,  ready  to  uttor  His  message  of  warning  and 
judgment  against  the  wicked  king.  AVhen  Shishak.  king 
of  Egypt,  came  up  against  Rehoboam,  then  Shemaiah 
the  prophet  was  there  to  call  tho  nation  to  repentance, 
and  to  promise  them  deliverance  from  the  hand  of  the 
enemy. 

When  King  Asa  summoned  his  people  to  meet  the 
common  enemy,  and  to  trust  in  the  arm  of  Jciiuvali, 
thep  God  sent  Azariah  the  prophet  to  bear  to  him  the 
mc  ;^e  of  encouragement  and  covenant  promise ;  and 
when,  later  in  his  reign,  Asa  became  willful  an  1  self- 
reliant,  and  turned  from  God  to  the  arm  of  flesh,  God 
sent  Hanani  the  prophet  to  tell  him  of  the  divine  dis- 
pleasure and  of  the  judgment  which  he  was  about  to 
bring  upon  himself.  When  Jehoshaphat  stood  face  to 
face  with  the  Ammonites  and  Moabit»"s  in  the  valley  of 
Herachah  in  grrat  peril  and  humiliation,  then  God  sent 
the  prophet  Jeheziel  to  announce  the  victory  of  faith 
tliat  wUiS  to  come  with  the  morrow. 

W^hen  Joash,  king  of  Judah,  turned  away  from  God, 
then  Zwhariah,  the  prophet  of  the  Lord,  stood  up  to 
reprove  him  for  his  sin,  and  suffered  mai*tyrdom  at  the 
hands  of  the  king  and  people,  the  first  of  that  hand 
of  witnesses  who  sealed  their  testimony  with  their  bl(H)d. 
When  Ahab  and  Jezebel  reigned  in  >Samaria.  and  all 
Israel  was  given  up  to  the  worship  of  Baal,  then  Elijah 
appeared  as  God's  mes^^  —^r  of  lire  to  warn  the  people 
and  to  lead   them  ba(  heir  allegiance  to  heaven. 

When  Elijah's  ministry        ,  completed,  Elisha.  I'oming 


"  y 


186 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


If 


as  the  messenger  of  peace,  for  half  a  century  guided 
and  counselled  the  king  and  the  people  in  the  name 
of  Jehovah,  the  gk)rious  type  ofc'  the  coming  Christ. 

The  brightest  light  of  tlu;  good  Hezekiah's  reign  was 
Isaiah,  the  prophet  of  the  Lord.  Even  when  Jerusalem 
fell,  and  Judah  passed  into  captivity,  Jeremiah,  like 
a  guardian  angel,  hovered  over  its  dark  midnight,  and 
sought  by  his  warning  and  pleading  to  avert  it ,  cruel 
fate;  and  then,  when  he  could  do  no  more,  like  the 
Master  Himself,  he  wept  over  the  city  that  he  had 
loved.  The  last  days  of  Israel  w^cre  linked  with  the 
prophetic  ministry  of  Ilosea,  the  prophet  of  love.  The 
exile  of  Judah  was  lighted  up  by  the  prophetic  ministrv'^ 
of  Ezekiel  by  the  river  Chebar,  and  of  Daniel  in  far 
off  Babylon.  The  days  of  Restoration  were  less  de- 
pendent upon  the  leadership  of  Zerubabel  than  upon  the 
prophetic  ministrations  of  Haggai  and  Zeehariah;  and, 
finally,  the  Old  Testament  Dispensation  was  closed  by 
Malachi,  the  messenger  of  Jehovah  and  the  prophet  of 
the  coming  age. 

The  very  names  of  these  prophetic  messengers  are 
beautifully  significant.  "Isaiah"  and  "Hosea"  mean  that 
God  is  the  Saviour;  "Jeremiah,"  God  is  high;  "Ezek- 
iel," God  is  strong;  "Daniel,"  God  is  judge;  "Joel,"  Je- 
hovah is  God ;  * '  Elijah, ' '  God  is  Jehovah ;  *  *  Elisha, ' '  God 
is  our  Saviour.  "Jonah,"  who  stands  first  among  the 
prophets  whose  writings  are  recorded,  means  "the  Dove," 
and  suggests  the  Holy  Ghost  in  His  gentle  grace.  "Na- 
hum,"  who  wrote  amid  the  sorrows  of  Israel's  ruin,  sig- 
nifies "the  Comforter,"  and  "Malachi,"  who  was  the 
messenger  of  the  new  dispensation,  means  "My  messen- 
ger." Thus  w^ere  their  very  names  and  lives  consistent 
with  their  high  character  and  their  divine  commission. 

The  prophets  of  Israel  may  be  divided  into  two  classes ; 
first,  those  whose  lives  alone  are  recorded;  and,  sec- 
ondly, those  whose  writings  have  come  down  to  us.  The 
latter  company  may  again  be  divided  into  six  classes. 


THE  SPIKIT  OF  INSPIRATION 


187 


uided 
name 
nAt. 
n  was 
isalem 
I,   like 
t,  and 
,  cruel 
ke  the 
e   Ii^kI 
th  the 
.    The 

inisto' 
in  far 
ess  de- 
3on  the 
i;  and, 
)sed  by 
phet  of 

ers  are 
an  that 
'Ezek- 
,"  Je- 
"God 
>ng  the 
>we," 
"Na- 
in,  sig- 
v^as  the 
nessen- 
isistent 
nission. 
'.lasses; 
d,  sec- 
s.    The 
aes. 


First,  we  have  Jonah,  standing  alone  as  the  pioneer 
and  the  earliest  of  the  prophets  whose  writings  are 
recorded.  Next,  we  have  the  prophets  who  were  con- 
nected with  Israel's  last  days;  namely,  Hosea,  Amos, 
and  Nahum.  Thirdly,  we  have  the  prophets  connected 
with  Judah  from  the  reign  of  Hezekiah  for  about  two 
generations  and  about  a  century  before  th(!  fall  of 
Judah.  These  were  Joel,  Micah,  and  Isaiah.  They  lived 
in  the  palmy  days  of  Judah 's  kingdom,  and  were  sent 
to  hold  the  nation  back  from  the  captivity  to  which  they 
were  hastening.  Through  their  ministry  the  catastrophe 
that  came  to  Israel  was  averted  from  Judah  for  more 
than  a  century.  It  came  at  last,  however,  and  we  have 
a  fourth  group  of  prophets,  who  cluster  around  the 
sinking  fortunes  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah  and  fall  of 
Jerusalem.  They  are  Jeremiah,  Obadiah,  Zephaniah, 
and  Habakkuk. 

We  have  a  fifth  class  a  little  later,  who  may  be  called 
the  prophets  of  the  exile.  They  prophesied  in  captivity. 
They  are  Ezekiel  and  Daniel,  the  one  in  the  country, 
the  other  in  the  capital  of  Babylon. 

Finally,  we  have  the  prophets  of  the  Restoration, 
the  men  who  counselled  and  comforted  the  returning 
bands  who  went  back  to  rebuild  the  temple  and  city  of 
Jerusah'm.  They  were  Ilaggai,  Zechariah,  and  Malachi. 
These  sixteen  names  constitute  the  glorious  company 
of  the  prophets  whose  writings  have  come  to  us.  They 
are  commonly  divided  into  the  major  and  minor  prophets, 
Isaiah,  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel  belonging  to  the  former, 
and  all  the  others  to  the  latter  class.  They  all  claimed  to 
be  the  special  messengers  of  Jehovah,  and  they  were  all 
accredited  by  Ilis  signal  presc^nce  and  power.  They 
belong  to  that  class  of  whom  our  text  says  they  "spake  as 
they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  The  same  lan- 
guage might  yet  more  em])hatically  be  applied  to  the 
prophets  and  writers  of  the  New  Testament. 

And  so  we  come  to  the  great  subject  of  the  inspira- 


188 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


5^ 


tion  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  the  messengers  of  God's 
will  in  the  various  dispensations.  Let  us  briefly  consider ; 
first,  the  nature  of  inspiration;  secondly,  its  evidences; 
and,  thirdly,  the  responsibility  that  it  lays  upon  us. 

I. 

As  to  the  nature  of  inspiration  what  do  we  mean 
by  the  inspired  prophets  and  the  inspired  Scriptures? 

The  Scripture  writers  themselves  settle  this  question. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  tliey  claim  for  themselves,  and 
the  Lord  Jesus  Himself  recognizes  the  claim,  that  they 
are  the  special  messengers  of  God  and  bring  to  man 
the  expression  of  His  will.  It  may  not  be  easy  for  us 
to  explain  the  precise  nature  of  their  inspiration.  All 
we  need  to  know  is  its  practical  extent  and  value,  and 
that  it  was  a  divine  influence  which  so  possessed  them 
that  it  preserved  them  from  all  error  and  enabled  them 
to  give  to  men  a  correct  and  infallible  record  of  the 
facts  they  intended  to  represent,  and  the  message  which 
God  intended  they  should  bear.  It  was  such  a  super- 
intendence by  the  Holy  Ghost  as  made  their  mesvsage 
absolutely  inerrant  and  infallible.  It  was  not  always 
necessary  that  they  should  receive  a  revelation  of  all 
the  facts  in  the  case,  because  they  may  already  have 
been  familiar  with  many  of  them  or  even  all  of  them. 
What  they  needed  was  such  a  divine  guidance  and  con- 
trol as  would  enable  them  to  state  these  facts  accurately 
and  as  fully  as  God  required. 

This  divine  control  did  not  make  them  necessarily 
passive  and  mechanical.  They  were  not  writing  as  a 
phonograph  would  speak,  or  as  a  typewriter  would  obey 
the  touch  of  the  performer.  While  in  many  instances 
they  may  have  been  unconscious,  in  others  they  undoubt- 
edly wrote  and  spoke  in  the  free  possession  of  all  their 
faculties  and  in  the  exercise  of  their  own  intelligence.  We 
know  that  they  acted  with  perfect  individuality,  and 
that  each  man's  message  was  colored  by  the  complexion 


i 


1  -  pi  I 


THE  Sl'IKlT  OF  INSPIRATION 


189 


ot  his  own  mind,  so  that  we  know  the  writings  of  Isaiah 
from  those  of  Jeremiah;  we  know  the  voice  of  Elijah 
from  that  of  Klisha;  we  know  the  style  of  John  from 
that  of  P-'ul.  The  Book  of  God  is  like  a  beautiful  garden, 
where  all  the  flowers  grow  upon  the  same  soil  and  are 
watered  from  the  same  heaven,  but  each  has  its  ov  i 
unique  colors,  forms,  fragrance  and  individuality.  This 
is  a  harp  of  nearly  a  hundred  strings;  but  all  are  in 
perfect  harmony,  and  every  measure  is  resolved  into  oni; 
glorious  refrain,  Jesus,  redemption,  "Glory  to  God  in 
the  highest;  on  earth  peace,  goodwill  to  men."  It  is 
not  nec(  ssarj'  for  us  to  believe  that  the  Holy  Ghost 
inspired  the  wicked  words  which  the  Bfible  records,  the 
ungodly  speeches  and  the  foolish  utterances  contained 
in  the  Book  of  Job,  and  many  such  things.  All  that 
was  necessary  was  that  it  should  give  a  correct  record 
of  what  Job's  wife  and  Job's  friends  really  said,  and 
even  of  the  devil's  wicked  speeches.  The  speeches  were 
inspired  by  the  devil,  but  the  record  of  them  was  in- 
spired by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  Apostle  Paul  records  the  nature  and  fullness 
of  inspiration  very  explicitly  when  he  says,  in  I.  Cor. 
2:  12,  13,  "Now  we  have  received,  not  the  spirit  of  the 
world,  but  the  Spirit  which  is  of  God,  that  we  might 
know  the  things  that  are  freely  given  to  us  of  God. 
iWhich  things  also  we  speak,  not  in  the  words  which 
man's  wisdom  teacheth,  but  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
teacheth. "  We,  therefore,  know  that  those  records  arp 
divine,  that  these  messages  are  from  the  throne,  and  that 
this  blessed  book  is  the  very  Word  of  the  living  and 
everlasting  God. 

n. 

The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  bears  witness  to  the  inspiration 
of  the  Scriptures.  Again  and  again  He  quotes  from 
the  Old  Testament  books,  and  He  tells  us  that  it  was 


190 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


V. 

% 


the   "Word  of  the  Lord  and  the  Word  of  the  Spirit 
through  the  prophet. 

The  New  Testament  bears  witness  to  the  Old,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit,  through  His  later  messengers,  confirms  His 
messages  through  former  oracles. 

The  message  brings  its  own  evidence,  and  bears  to 
every  true  heart  the  conviction  of  its  divinity  and  its 
truth. 

The  best  evidence  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  is  the  re- 
sponse which  they  find  in  the  consciences  of  men.  Listen- 
ing to  the  great  Teacher,  we  are  compelled  to  say,  "He 
told  me  all  that  ever  I  did."    "Is  not  this  the  Christ?" 

To  the  child  of  God  the  divinest  testimony  to  the 
Holy  Scriptures  is  the  blessing  which  they  have  brought 
to  his  own  soul,  the  witness  of  the  Holy  Ghost  within 
him,  and  the  effect  that  this  book  has  produced  upon  his 
heart  and  life. 

Its  miracles  of  grace  are  its  divinest  credentials.  It 
has  changed  the  sin-possessed  soul  into  a  saint  of  God, 
and  has  made  the  wilderness  of  evil  and  misery  to  blos- 
som as  the  rose. 

But  it  has  also  divine  and  supernatural  credentials. 
Side  by  side  with  God's  inspired  Word  have  always 
marched  the  twin  witnesses  of  miracles  and  prophecy. 
These  mighty  words  have  moved  the  heavens  and  shaken 
the  earth.  In  response  to  their  command  the  dead  have 
been  raised,  the  living  have  been  transformed,  and  all 
the  powers  of  nature  have  witnessed  to  the  supreme 
authority  of  God's  inspired  commands. 

This  book  is  the  panorama  of  the  ages,  and  history  has 
kept  time  to  all  its  paragraphs.  Here  we  find,  centuries 
in  advance,  God's  inspired  prophecies  of  coming  events, 
which  have  all  been  fulfilled  so  literally  as  to  read  more 
like  history  than  prophecy.  When  Babylon  was  in  its 
glory,  Daniel  dared  to  say  that  it  would  fall  and  be 
superseded  by  the  Persian  Empire.  He  lived  to  see  the 
prophecy  fulfilled. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  INSPIRATION 


191 


When  Cyrus  was  flushed  with  universal  conquest, 
again  Daniel  looked  through  the  horoscope  of  prophecy 
and  saw  the  coming  of  Grecian  and  Roman  conquerors. 
Again  all  the  events  of  later  times  and  history  have 
literally  fulfilled  the  visions  of  Daniel,  and  are  fulfilling 
them  today. 

What  but  a  divine  mind  could  have  given  these  predic- 
tions? What  but  an  inspired  book  could  contain  such 
records  ? 

Even  in  the  minutest  particulars  we  see  the  traces  of 
divine  wisdom  and  omniscience.  The  ancient  prophet  de- 
clared in  one  place  that  Zedekiah,  the  last  king  of  Judah, 
should  be  carried  to  Babylon,  and  in  another  place  he 
declared  that  Zedekiah  should  never  see  Babylon.  It 
looked  like  a  discrepancy  at  first,  but  history  literally 
fulfilled  it.  Zedekiah,  blinded  by  Nebuchadnezzar  before 
he  reached  the  city,  entered  it  a  captive,  but  never  saw 
it  with  his  sightless  eyes.  Thus  Iiejh  God  been  confirming 
His  Word  as  the  ages  have  come  and  gone. 

One  of  the  greatest  mosques  of  the  Mohammedan  world 
has  recently  been  destroyed  by  fire  in  the  city  of  Damas- 
cus. It  was  an  ancient  Christian  temple,  on  whose  facade 
was  cut  in  stone  this  inscription,  "Thy  kingdom,  0 
Christ  is  an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  Thy  word  endureth 
to  all  generations. ' '  When  the  Moslems  captured  Damas- 
cus, and  took  possession  of  the  old  Christian  church,  they 
obliterated  the  inscription  on  the  front  by  plastering  it 
over  and  emblazoning  in  gold  a  verse  from  the  Koran 
above  it. 

As  ages  went  by,  that  archway  spake  only  the  message 
of  the  false  prophet.  But  by-and-by  time  wore  off  the 
plaster,  so  that  within  the  past  two  years  the  old  Chris- 
tian inscription  has  come  out  again,  and  God's  word 
stands  forth  through  all  the  wreck  of  time.  When  a  few 
weeks  ago  the  old  church  was  burned  down,  strangely 
enough,  the  tower  was  left  standing  with  the  inscription 
untouched  by  the  destroying  elements;    and   there    it 


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stands  today,  declaring  to  the  world,  "Thy  word,   O 
Christ,  endureth  to  all  generations. 


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m. 

We  have  our  responsibility  for  God's  Holy  Word.  If 
this  is  the  inspired  Word  of  God,  how  solemn  and  ,iu- 
preme  its  claims!  Let  us  believe  it  implicitly;  let  us 
believe  it  without  compromise  or  questioning. 

Let  us  not  try  to  eliminate  the  supernatural  and  bring 
it  down  to  the  plane  of  our  own  reason  and  Knowledge ; 
but  let  us  bow  submissively  before  the  throne  of  Him  who 
speaks  from  heaven,  and  say  with  every  fibre  of  our 
being,  **It  means  just  w'hat  it  says." 

But  let  us  also  obey.  Believe  means  to  "live  by." 
Our  faith  has  two  sides;  one  is  faith,  the  ether  is  faith- 
fulnt^ss.  One  is  trust,  the  other  is  trustworthiness.  They 
are  the  two  wings  that  bear  us  above  the  dark  abyss; 
they  are  the  two  oars  that  carry  us  through  the  danger- 
ous rapids ;  they  are  the  two  hands  that  grasp  and  hold 
fast  forever  the  eternal  covenant. 

Obedience  is  always  the  condition  of  faith.  Only  as 
we  live  by  this  blessed  book  can  we  fully  claim  its  prom- 
ises and  rest  upon  its  words  of  grace. 

Let  us  live  up  to  the  fullness  of  our  Bible.  Let  us 
translate  every  word  cf  it  into  our  lives.  Let  each  of  us 
be  a  new  edition  and  a  nev/  version  of  the  Scriptures, 
translated  into  flesh  and  blood,  words  and  acts,  holiness 
and  service. 

God  has  spoken  to  the  successive  generations,  expecting 
each  age  to  correspond  to  the  message  given ;  but  to  our 
generation  He  has  given  the  largest  measure  of  His 
truth  and  th-e  fullness  of  His  revelation.  He  expects 
from  us  a  deeper,  fuller,  larger  life.  Let  us  live  out 
the  whole  Bible  in  this  dispensation. 

There  is  a  day  coming  when  we  shall  have  larger 
revelations  of  truth  and  an  eternity  in  which  to  live 
them  out :    but  in  this  life  let  us  measure  up  to  the 


THE  SPIEIT  OF  INSPIRATION 


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They 

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larger 
to  live 
to  the 


Word  of  God  without  abatement,  and,  like  the  Master 
Himself,  fulfill  every  word  of  Scripture  before  we  shall 
have  run  our  course. 

Have  we  lived  out  all  the  Bible?  Have  we  proved 
its  every  promise?  Have  we  illustrated  its  every  com- 
mand ?  Have  we  translated  it  into  the  living  characters 
of  our  own  record?  God  help  us,  not  only  to  have  a 
Bible,  but  each  of  us  to  be  a  Bible. 

Finally,  if  this  is  God's  inspired  Word,  it  can  be 
understood  only  by  inspired  men.  There  are  two  senses 
in  which  inspiration  can  be  received  and  understood. 
The  inspiration  of  the  apostles  and  the  prophets  was  to 
write  the  Bible,  but  we  need  an  inspiration  just  as  real 
to  read  it  and  to  understand  it.  It  was  not  written  for 
the  cold  intelligence  of  natural  man,  but  for  the  spiritual 
eyes  of  the  heart.  And  so  no  man  knoweth  the  things 
of  God,  save  the  Spirit  of  God  which  is  in  him.  We 
must  have  **the  mind  of  Christ"  and  the  Holy  Ghost 
before  we  can  rightly  and  fully  understand  the  Holy 
Scriptures. 

Shall  we  receive  His  blessed  Spirit  to  understand  His 
blessed  Word?  Shall  we  read  the  Bible,  not  as  a  book 
of  histor}^  and  biography,  but  as  the  love  letter  of  a 
Friend,  the  personal  message  of  our  Bridegroom  and  our 
Lord?  Then  shall  we  understand  it,  love  it,  and  know  its 
blessed  meaning  and  heavenly  power, 

A  poor  blind  girl  was  dying.  Her  cold  fingers  had 
ceased  to  feel.  She  called  for  her  dear  old  Bible,  and 
tried  to  read  the  raised  letters  once  more,  but  all  sense 
having  gone  from  her  hands,  she  turned  away  with  sor- 
row, and  clasping  it  to  her  bosom,  and  pressing  it  to  her 
lips,  she  said,  "My  dear  Bible,  I  cannot  read  you  longer, 
but  I  love  you  still."  At  that  very  moment  she  found 
that  as  her  lips  touched  the  characters  they  could  still 
feel  and  read  them.  She  gave  a  great  cry  of  joy,  and  as 
she  passed  her  lips  from  line  to  line  the  words  still  spake 
to  her  intelligence  and  to  her  heart. 


194 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


Beloved,  let  us  take  the  Bible  a  little  closer  and  we 
shall  understand  it  better,  and  it  will  speak  from  the 
heart  of  God  to  our  inmost  heart  as  the  living  message  of 
His  love. 


k 


I'i 


'   ¥. 


id  we 
n  the 
ige  of 


CHAPTER  XVIl. 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  BOOK  OF  JOEL. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass  afterward,  that  I  will  pour  out  my 
spirit  upon  all  flesh;  and  your  sous  and  your  daughters  shall 
prophesy,  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams,  your  young  meu 
shall  see  visions." — Joel  2:  28. 

JCr'  was  the  oldest  of  the  prophets  of  Judah  whose 
writings  have  come  down  to  us.  His  little  book  con- 
tains the  substance  and  the  text  of  the  deeper  and 
larger  unfoldings  of  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  and  the  later 
prophets,  and  is  the  keynote  of  the  Day  of  Pentecost  and 
the  Christian  Dispensation. 

It  is  the  text  of  all  the  volumes  that  have  been  written 
about  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  germ  of  all  the  manifesta- 
tions of  His  power  and  grace  throughout  the  ages  that 
have  followed  this  ancient  message. 

Just  as  God  gave  to  Habakkuk,  in  one  little  verse, 
the  text  of  the  whole  Gospel  of  salvation,  so  He  gave  to 
Joel  the  text  of  the  whole  doctrine  of  the  Spirit.  Like  a 
rainbow  upon  the  storm  cloud,  like  a  gleam  of  sunshine 
out  of  a  dark  sky,  like  a  blossom  amid  the  regions  of 
eternal  snow,  so  Joel's  beautiful  vision  comes  out  of  a 
dark  calamity,  a  great  national  catastrophe. 

It  opens  with  the  picture  of  an  invasion  of  locusts, 
one  of  the  most  frightful  scourges  of  the  East.  But  be- 
yond this  little  picture  there  is  evidently  some  greater 
trial  suggested,  and  some  more  formidable  enemy  fore- 
shadowed. Perhaps  the  locust  plague  was  but  the  type  of 
the  invading  armies  of  tre  Chaldeans,  and  of  the  more 
dreadful  judgments  that  are  yet  to  come  to  Israel. 

In  the  midst  of  this  great  national  trial  the  prophet 
was  sent  to  utter  the  trumpet  call  to  the  people  to  come 
together  in  fasting,  peiitence,  humiliation,  and  prayer, 

195 


n 


196 


POWER    FROM   ON    TITOir 


^ 


I 


uml  l.<»  sock  the  interposilion  jind  dolivorHnro  oC  their  cov- 
enant God.  Xor  did  thpy  cull  upon  llim  in  vhiii.  IU- 
sent  the  gracious  answer;  »Tnd.  as  lie  always  does,  He 
gave  more  than  they  asked,  ev«'n  the  promise  of  His  own 
personal  coming  to  dwell  among  them,  and  the  outpour- 
ing of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  fullness  of  Pentecostal  times, 
and  the  brighter  promise  of  the  glory  which  is  to  follow 
through  the  advent  and  reign  of  the  Son  of  God  Himself. 
The  whole  vision  is  a  kind  of  ground  plan  of  the  Dis- 
pensations, and  especially  of  the  Christian  Dispensation 
and  the  times  of  the  Spirit.  It  is  also  a  sort  of  (Mitlined 
sketch  of  God's  dealings  with  the  Church  still  in  the 
manifestation  of  His  presence  and  the  outpouring  of  His 
Spirit;  and  not  only  wuth  the  Church,  but  with  every 
individual  soul. 

I. 

THE    MINISTRY    OF    REPENTANCE. 

Before  the  promise  of  the  Spirit  c(mld  be  fulfilled, 
there  must  come  the  dispensation  of  repentance,  humilia- 
tion, and  earnest  prayer.  There  came,  therefore,  the  call 
to  national  penitence.  "Blow  the  trumpet  in  Zion,  sancti 
fy  a  fast,  call  a  solemn  assembly:  gather  tlie  people, 
sanctify  the  congregation."  It  was  to  be  a  r^eneral  and 
deeply  earnest  movement,  including  all  classes.  "Gather 
the  children  and  those  that  suck  the  breasts :  let  the  bride- 
groom go  forth  of  his  chamber,  and  the  bride  of  her  closet. 
Let  the  priests,  the  ministers  of  the  Lord,  weep  between 
the  porch  and  the  altar,  and  let  them  say,  'Spare  Thy 
people  O  Lord,  and  give  not  thine  heritage  to  re- 
proach.' " 

Such  a  dispensation  of  ix»pentance  must  precede  at 
every  season  of  spiritual  blessing.  Its  great  tj'^pe  is  John 
the  Baptist  and  his  ministry  of  warning  and  reformation. 
Doubtless  it  is  prefigured  by  the  vision  of  the  prophet, 
and  it  preceded  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and 
the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Ghost,    So,  still,  before  any 


TTIE  TIOLY  SPIRIT  IN  JOEL 


197 


ir  rov- 
\.      Ilr 

?s,  lie 
is  own 
tpour- 
tiuies, 
follow 
iiuself. 
le  Dis- 
istitiou 
i1  lined 
ill  the 
of  His 
I  every 


(tliurch  or  people  can  receive  the  sho^v>ers  of  heavenly 
blessing,',  they  must  hninble  themselves  before  God;  turn 
from  sin,  worhilineys,  and  disobedience;  publicly  rec- 
ognize God  as  the  Author  of  their  blessing;  and  wait 
upon  Him  in  definite  acknowledgment  of  their  depend- 
ence. Then  there  will  come  to  them  the  same  gracious 
answer  which  the  Prophet  Joel  was  sent  to  bear  to  God's 
ancient  people :  *  *  Fear  not,  O  land ;  be  glad  and  rejoice : 
for  the  Lord  will  do  great  things.  ...  Be  glad  then,  ye 
children  of  Zion,  and  rejoice  in  the  Lord  your  God :  for 
He  hath  given  you  the  former  rain  moderately,  and  will 
cause  to  come  down  for  you  the  rain,  the  former  rain, 
and  the  latter  rain. '  * 


n. 


ilfilled, 
umilia- 
le  call 
sancti 
people, 
al  and 
Gather 
bride- 
closet, 
etween 
re  Thy 
to   re- 

ede  at 
s  John 
nation, 
ophet, 
ist  and 
re  any 


THE    COMING    OP    CHRIST. 

Next,  here  came  the  personal  presence  of  the  Lord 
Himself.  **Ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  the  midst  of 
Israel,  and  that  I  am  the  Lord  your  God,  and  none  else : 
and  my  people  shall  never  be  ashamed."  This  personal 
manifestation  of  the  Lord  in  the  midst  of  Israel  was  ful- 
filled in  its  most  emphatic  manner  by  the  coming  of 
Jesus,  and  His  incarnation  and  ministry  on  earth  after 
the  preparatory  ministry  of  John  the  Baptist.  So  Jesus 
must  come  personally  before  we  can  receive  the  full  bap- 
tism of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Jesus  does  come  to  the  penitent 
heart,  the  surrendered  heart,  the  humble  heart,  and  makes 
it  His  abode.  "But  to  this  man  will  I  look,  even  to  him 
that  is  poor  and  of  a  contrite  spirit,  and  trembleth  at 
my  word." 

Jesus  is  the  giver  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  *'He  that  bap- 
tizeth  with  the  Holy  Ghost ; ' '  and  we  must  receive  Christ 
before  we  can  receive  the  Spirit.  The  sinner's  first  act 
is  not  to  receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  to  receive  Jesus, 
turning  to  penitence  from  all  sin,  and  opening  his  heart 
to  the  Saviour.  **  As  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave 


198 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


4: 


he  power  lo  l)eeome  tlie  sons  of  God."  And  then  He 
gives  the  \uv.\ri  in  whieh  He  dwells  the  sume  Spirit  which 
dwelt  in  llim. 


III. 


THE   COMING   OP    THE   HOLY    SPIRIT. 


ii 


And  it  shall  come  to  pass  afterward,  that  I  will  pour 
out  my  Spirit  upon  all  iiesh;  and  your  sons  and  your 
daughters  shall  prophesy,  your  old  men  shall  dream 
dreams,  your  young  men  shall  see  visions :  and  also  upon 
the  servants  and  upon  the  handmaids  in  those  days  will 
I  pour  out  my  Spirit.  And  I  will  shew  wonders  in  he 
heavens  and  in  the  earth,  blood,  and  fire,  and  pillars  of 
smoke.  The  sun  shall  be  turned  into  darkness,  and  the 
moon  into  blood,  before  the  great  and  the  terrible  day 
of  the  Lord  come.  iVnd  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  whoso- 
ever shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  .shall  be  de- 
livered." This  is  the  very  promise  the  Apostle  Peter 
quoted  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  as  the  explanation  of  that 
extraordinary  manifestation  of  the  presence  of  God. 

1.  First,  we  will  notice  that  it  is  a  personal  coming 
of  the  Spirit.  It  is  not,  "I  will  pour  out  of  my  Spirit," 
but  "I  will  pour  out  my  Spirit."  It  is  the  Spirit  Him- 
self who  comes. 

The  Third  Person  of  the  glorious  Trinity  removed  His 
residence  from  heaven  to  earth,  just  as  literally  as  the 
Second  Person,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  removed  His  resi- 
dence from  heaven  to  earth  when  He  became  incarnate 
and  dwelt  for  thirty-three  and  a  half  years  in  Galilee 
and  Judea. 

This  world  is  now  the  home  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  a  real 
personal  Being,  with  affections,  intelligence,  and  will  like 
our  own.  The  very  Spirit  that  dwelt  in  Jesus  during 
His  earthly  ministry  is  now  residing  among  us,  and  is 
willing  to  dwell  within  every  consecrated  heart. 

2.  The  abundance  of  the  outpouring  is  very  strongly 
expressed.     The  Hebrew  word  **pour"  means  a  very 


lu'n  He 
t  which 


ill  pour 
id  your 

dream 
[so  upon 
ays  will 
's  ill  lie 
illars  of 
and  the 
ible  day 
t  whoso- 
II  be  de- 
le Peter 
n  of  that 
od. 

coming 
Spirit," 

it  Him- 

)ved  His 
as  the 
[lis  resi- 
icarnate 
Galilee 

It,  a  real 
Iwill  like 
during 
and  is 

strongly 
a  very 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  JOEL 


199 


large  effusion,  a  boundless  filling  of  the  Spirit.  God  does 
not  give  some  of  the  Spirit,  but  gives  the  Spirit  in 
all  His  infinite  fulluess.  There  is  no  limit  whatsoever. 
He  givetli  the  Spirit  "without  measure"  unto  Jesus,  and 
Jesus  gives  us  all  that  He  has  of  the  Spirit's  fullness. 
"We  have  not  yut  begun  to  realize  the  illimitable  power 
and  resources  which  God  places  at  the  call  of  His  peo- 
ple's faith  and  obedience. 

3.  The  extent  of  the  outpouring  is  universal  "upon  all 
flesh."  Hitherto  the  Spirit's  manifestations  had  been 
confined  to  individuals  and  to  a  single  nation.  Now  there 
was  to  be  no  distinction  of  race  or  nation.  It  was  to 
be  a  universal  blessing  for  Jews  and  Gentiles,  and  equally 
open  to  all  the  human  race. 

There  is,  perhaps,  an  intimation  of  the  physical  aspect 
of  the  blessing.  The  Holy  Ghost  makes  our  flesh  His 
home  and  our  body  His  temple. 

4.  There  was  to  be  no  distinction  of  age.  The  promise 
was  to  ''the  young  men  and  to  the  old  men,"  to  "the 
sons  and  daughters"  as  well  as  to  the  sire.  Henceforth 
even  experience,  age,  and  natural  advantages  were  not 
to  count ;  but  the  Holy  Ghost  was  to  be  the  wisdom  and 
power  of  all  that  trusted  Him.  He  would  use  the  young- 
est as  well  as  the  oldest,  and  *  *  out  of  the  mouths  of  babes 
and  sucklings"  would  "ordain  strength"  and  "perfect 
praise." 

As  we  reach  nearer  to  the  climax  of  the  age,  the  full- 
ness of  the  Spirit,  and  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  we  find 
God  choosing  the  young  as  well  as  the  old,  and  making 
them  the  special  instruments  of  His  power.  Many  of  the 
saintliest  lives  of  today  are  those  of  young  men  heroes 
and  young  women  heroines  of  the  mission  field,  the  holy 
ones  whose  consecration  is  more  marked  because  it  is  not 
expected  so  much  from  them,  amid  the  attractions  and 
allurements  of  their  youth  and  their  worldly  surround- 
ings. Oh,  that  the  young  might  know  that  the  blessed 
Holy  Ghost  is  willing  and  able  to  possess  them  in  all  the 


'm 


13 


-^tfWw.'  ^.>..^  f  »^«Mii  WHiMw  ■  an  ^ 


200 


I'OWER   VROM   ON   UUUJ 


I 


n 
111 


% 


i,' 


enthusiasm  ol'  their  uature,  iu  all  the  tTeshiiess  of  their 
love,  in  all  the  glow  of  their  ambition,  and  not  only  to 
till  and  satisfy  their  own  hearts,  but  to  use  them  as 
"burning  and  shining  lights"! 

The  saintliest  man  that  ever  lived  iu  Seotlaud  was 
young  MeCheyne,  whose  spirit  still  lives  in  the  present 
generation.  The  most  influential  lives  that  have  ever 
adorned  the  mission  field  have  been  those  of  the  young 
men  and  the  young  women  who  have  given  up  their  life 
as  a  sacrifiee  for  Christ.  Yes,  and  the  very  Leader  whom 
we  love  to  follow  was  Himself  a  young  man,  and  never 
will  be  old.  He  will  put  His  young  heart,  and  His  glori- 
ous Spirit,  into  the  youngest  as  v  cU  as  the  oldest,  and 
will  accept  the  bright  and  beautiful  offering  of  a  conse- 
crated youth,  and  give  to  it  the  glory  that  the  world  can 
never  bestow.  Let  us  receive  Him,  and  give  Him  our 
brightest  and  best. 

5.  All  social  classes  and  conditions  without  distinc- 
tion had  the  promise.  **The  servants  and  the  hand- 
maids," mentioned  in  the  next  verse,  literally  mean  the 
slaves,  for  the  servants  in  ancient  families  were  bond- 
slaves, and  the  absolute  property  of  their  masters.  Upon 
this  class  the  especial  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost  were  to 
descend  under  the  Christian  Dispensation. 

There  is  no  record  of  a  slave's  having  been  called  spe- 
cially into  service  and  divine  enduement  in  the  Old  Dis- 
pensation ;  but  under  the  New,  the  poorest,  the  lowliest, 
and  most  unlikely  classes  were  to  be  elevated  and  to  re- 
ceive the  enduement  of  power  from  on  high,  and  the  honor 
of  special  service  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  So  we  find  in 
the  New  Testament,  Onesimus,  the  slave,  recognized  as 
the  friend  of  Paul,  and  commended  to  the  affection  of 
Philemon,  his  former  master.  In  his  epistles  the  Apostle 
Paul  enjoins  the  servants  to  accept  their  position  as  serv- 
ice for  Jesus,  and  promises  them  an  equal  recompense 
in  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord,  when  all  social  positions  may 


Ui 


Tire  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  JOEL 


201 


f  their 
)Ml.y  to 
leiu  as 

id  was 
present 
ve  ever 
1  young 
leir  lii'e 
r  whom 
d  never 
is  glori- 
3st,  and 
a  conse- 
orld  can 
lim  our 

distinc- 
hand- 

lean  the 

•e  bond- 
Upon 

were  to 

|lled  spe- 
nd Dis- 
lowliest, 
id  to  re- 
Ihe  honor 
find  in 
Inizod  as 
;etion  of 
Apostle 
as  serv- 
lorapense 
Ions  may 


be  reversed  an<l  they  may  win  the  crown  of  liighcst  serv- 
ice  in  tlie  niillftinial  a^'e. 


il. 


Holy 


Ghost  upon  the 
servants  and  handmaids  is  specially  «»mphasized  in  this 
verse.  The  two  little  words,  **and  also,"  are  meant  to 
designate  this  class  as  the  particular  objects  of  the 
divine  care  and  blessing.  Surely  it  has  been  true  that 
the  outcast  classes  of  soeiety  have  been  raised  up  under 
the  Gospel  to  be  the  vessels  of  God's  richest  mercy, 
and  many  of  them  the  instruments  of  His  noblest  work. 

No  man  is  so  low  nor  so  i)ressed  down  by  natural  hin- 
drances as  to  prevent  his  taking  the  highest  plaec  in 
the  kingdom  of  Christ.  Let  the  young,  let  the  lowly, 
let  even  the  illiterate  know  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  will- 
ing to  choose  them  as  the  vessels  of  His  grace,  and  is 
able  to  train  them  for  thv  highest  spiritual  culture  and 
the  most  honored  service  for  that  blessed  Master,  with 
whom  is  no  respect  of  persons. 

6.  Special  gifts  and  manifestations  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
were  to  be  bestowed.  "Your  sons  and  your  daugthers 
shall  prophesy,  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams,  your 
young  men  shall  see  visions."  These  various  expressions 
have  reference  to  the  peculiar  gifts  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
revelation  of  His  will  to  man,  and  the  high  service  for 
which  He  fits  us. 

Prophesying  is  speaking  the  divine  message  in  the 
power  of  the  Spirit.  Dreams  and  visions  refer  to  the 
special  illuminations  which  He  is  pleased  to  give  to 
His  consecrated  servants. 

Of  course,  it  includes  the  peculiar  ministry  of  inspira- 
tion of  which  we  have  formerly  spoken,  and  which  is  not 
continued  in  the  Church.  But  there  is  a  sense  in  which 
God  still  opens  the  inner  ear  to  hear  His  voice,  and 
illuminates  the  *  *  eyes  of  the  heart ' '  to  behold  the  visions 
of  His  glory  and  His  Word. 

It  would  seem  as  if  to  the  aged  it  came  in  dreams  and 
to  the  young  in  visions.     To  the  old,  the  faculties  of 


202 


POWER    IKOM  ON   HIGH 


ii 


I 


nature  l)oiiif»  sominvliat  suspended,  the  voice  of  God  has 
lo  Im-  more  direct.  In  the  young  the  spiritual  and  menial 
powers  arc  still  in  vigorous  activity,  and  they  are  il- 
lumliiated  and  quickened  to  catch  the  heavenly  vision. 

We  do  not  encourage  such  an  interpretation  of  these 
words  as  would  give  liberty  for  the  extravagant  and 
dangerous  spiritualistic  manifestations  of  the  trance  and 
medium,  the  pretended  revelation,  and  other  illusions 
and  vagaries  of  our  times.  But  after  we  have  made 
necessary  provision  for  holy  caution,  and  the  sober  regu- 
lation of  all  spiritual  manifestations,  there  is  ample 
room  for  the  quickening  of  the  spiritual  mind,  the  il- 
luminating of  the  spiritual  eye,  and  the  unfolding  of 
the  mind  of  the  Spirit  to  the  humble,  holy,  and  listen- 
ing ear.  God  does  give  His  visions  still,  especially  to 
the  young.  lie  gave  them  to  Joseph,  He  gave  them 
to  Timothy.  He  gave  them  to  Paul.  He  gave  them 
in  the  hour  of  consecration,  in  the  season  of  waiting 
upon  God,  in  the  retirement  of  the  closet,  in  the  time 
when  the  nearest  heart  looks  out  upon  a  world  of  sin,  and 
ui)on  the  vision  of  prohecy  and  inspired  truth.  God 
does  make  real  to  us  His  purpose  for  our  lives.  His  pur- 
pose for  the  world,  and  the  great  prophetic  plan  which 
He  is  pleased  to  unfold  through  the  Holy  Ghost  to  the 
humble  heart.  He  will  ''show  us  things  to  come." 
He  will  give  to  us  inspirations,  illuminations,  aspira- 
tions, hopes,  assurances,  wliicli  become  to  our  faith  and 
hope  like  the  little  glimpse  of  sunlight  which  comes  to 
the  mariner  on  the  pathless  ocean,  when  for  a  moment 
the  clouds  divide,  and  a  singl ;  observation  can  be  taken 
of  the  sun  in  the  blue  heavens;  and  then  the  clouds 
return  and  the  ship  sails  by  that  little  glimpse  of  sun- 
light  for  the  days  to  come. 

God  does  give  the  holy  heart  its  visions.  Let  us  be 
sure  they  are  the  voices  and  the  visions  of  God;  then 
let  us  cherish  them,  let  us  ''  e  by  them,  let  them  lift 
up,  and  lead  us  on  to  all  the  heights  of  His  love  and 


^ocl  has 
mental 
ar«^  il- 
siou. 
)f  thest; 
,nt  and 
Qce  and 
Uiisions 
e  made 
er  regu- 
1   ample 
the  il- 
ding  of 
I  listen- 
lially  to 
ve  them 
/e  them 
waiting 
:he  time 
sin,  and 
God 
lis  pur- 
which 
it  to  the 
come." 
aspira- 
ith  and 
omes  to 
Imoment 
le  taken 
clouds 
of  sun- 
US  be 
then 
lem  lift 
}ve  and 


THE  iIOLY  SPIRIT  IN  JOEL 


203 


will.  "Thine  eyes  shall  see  the  King  in  his  bea\ity: 
they  shall  behohl  the  land  that  is  very  far  off."  "I  am 
the  light  of  the  world:  he  that  followeth  me  shall  not 
walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life." 

7.  The  coming  of  the  Holy  Ghost  will  bring  salvation 
to  all  who  are  willing  to  receive  it.  Not  only  does  He 
endue  the  few  with  power  for  special  service,  but 
He  opens  the  doors  of  mercy  to  all  who  are  willing  to 
believe  and  receive  the  Saviour. 

In  the  day  of  His  coming  it  shall  come  to  pass  that 
"whosoever  shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall 
be  saved."  And  so  the  Day  of  Pentecost  is  not  only 
a  day  of  blessing  to  the  disciples,  but  a  day  of  salva- 
tion to  the  multitude,  and  when  He  comes  to  us,  "he 
will  convict  the  world  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of 
judgment." 

How  easy  it  is  to  lead  souls  to  Christ  when  we  are 
filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost !  How  the  whole  atmosphere 
is  charged  with  heav(!nly  i)ower  when  God's  waitinij:  peo- 
ple are  baptized  with  the  fullness  of  His  ^^irit!  Thvn 
the  consciences  of  men  are  stricken  sometimes  without 
a  single  word,  and  hearts  are  led  to  seek  the  Saviour 
through  an  influence  that  they  cannot  understan(w 

Doubtless,  as  the  days  go  by  and  the  coming  oi'  the 
Lord  draweth  nig^  there  shall  be  great  revivals,  times 
of  wonderful  awakening,  seasons  of  special  blessiiijr, 
when  multitudes  shall  seek  the  Lord,  both  at  home  aiid 
abroad,  and  there  shall  be  great  ingatherings  from 
among  the  unsaved. 

Our  own  generation  has  witnessed  some  examples  of 
these  great  movements;  and  we  may  be  encouraged  to 
look  for  them  still,  a»s  we  go  forth  in  the  power  of  the 
Spirit,  and  give  tJie  Gospel  in  its  fullness  and  simplicity 
to  men. 

8.  This  promise  also  includes  the  supernatural  mani- 
festation of  divine  power.  "I  will  shew  wonders  in 
the  heavens  above,   and   signs  in  the  earth  beneath." 


ii 


M. 


TVWtxHOTB—l 


204 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


I 


The  Holy  Ghost  came  at  Pentecost  with  supernatural 
power;  and  He  still  operates  through  the  faith  of  His 
people  in  His  healing  and  wonder-working  might,  as 
a  testimony  to  His  word  and  a  witness  to  an  unbelieving 
world  that  He  is  still  the  living  and  the  present  God. 

These  wonders  also  include  the  manifestations  of  His 
providence  in  answering  prayer,  in  removing  difficulties, 
in  breaking  down  barriers,  in  providing  means  for  the 
carrying  on  of  His  cause,  and  in  all  those  wonders  of 
providence  and  grace  of  which  so  many  examples  have 
been  given  in  our  own  time. 

The  Holy  Ghost,  who  dwells  in  the  Church,  is  the 
omnipotent  Executive  of  the  Godhead,  and  is  able  to 
control  the  hearts  of  men,  the  elements  of  nature,  and 
the  events  of  providence,  and  to  work  together  with 
His  people,  not  only  in  the  ordinarj^  operations  of 
His  grace,  but  in  the  extraordinary  manifestations  of 
divine  power  which  may  best  bear  witness  to  His  word 
and  work. 

We  may  trust  Plim  for  all  the  power  we  need  2or  the 
carrying  on  of  His  work,  and  for  the  accomplishment 
of  His  will  If  He  dwells  within  us,  He  will  work 
without  us.  If  He  is  piegnant  in  our  hearts,  He  will 
show  His  dominion  in  the  whole  empire  of  His  Divine 
power,  both  in  the  things  that  are  in  heaven,  and  the 
Jxings  that  are  on  earth,  and  tne  things  that  are  under 
the  earth. 

9.  Once  more  we  see  the  coming  of  the  Hoh'  Ghost 
leading  up  to  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
The  vision  of  the  wonder-working  Spirit  leads  right  up 
to  the  events  that  preceded  and  ushered  in  the  advent 
of  Christ.  The  next  chapter  is  the  picture  and  prophecy 
of  His  coming.  It  is  full  of  profound  prophetic  in- 
terest. 

Among  its  pictures  are  the  restoration  of  Israel  from 
their  long  captivity,  the  final  conflict  of  the  ungodly 
nations  with  Christ,  and  His  people,   the  great  battle 


natural 

of  His 

ght,   as 

alieving 

it  God. 

of  llis 

iculties, 

for  the 

iders  of 

les  have 

,  is  the 
able  to 
ire,  and 
ler  with 
tions  of 
Ltions  of 
lis  word 

£or  the 
llishment 
lill  work 

He  will 
Divine 

and  the 

e  under 

Ghost 
Chri>5t. 
'ight  up 
advent 
prophecy 
letic  in- 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  JOEL 


205 


of  Armageddon,  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
ai.d  the  establishment  of  His  blessed  kingdom. 

Just  as  the  coming  of  Jesus  brought  the  Holy  Ghost, 
so  the  coming  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  fullness  of 
His  power  will  bring  the  second  coming  of  Jesus;  and 
as  that  advent  approaches,  His  power  will  be  more  glori- 
ously manifested,  and  His  people  will  better  under- 
stand His  great  purpose  and  His  infinite  resources. 
Oh,  let  us  understand  His  special  business,  which  is 
to  gather  out  of  the  nations  a  people  for  Christ,  to  finish 
the  work  of  the  Gospel,  to  sanctify  and  prepare  the 
Bride  for  her  coming  Lord,  then  to  prasent  her  to  Jesus, 
and  hand  over  to  Him  the  government  of  the  millennial 
world. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  longing  for  Christ's  coming,  and 
longing  for  a  people  that  can  understand  Him  and  can 
co-operate  with  Him  in  bringing  it  about. 

Just  as  tb3  coming  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  His  full- 
ness will  bring  the  millennial  Advent,  so  there  is  a  sense 
in  which  His  coming  to  each  heart  will  bring  a  millennial 
blessing  to  that  heart. 

There  is  a  millennium  for  the  soul  as  well  as  for  the 
Church.  There  is  a  kingdom  of  peace  and  righteousness 
and  glory  into  which,  in  a  limited  sense,  we  can  enter 
with  Him  here.  There  is  a  Kingdom  of  God  which 
is  within  us,  which  is  righteousness  ?nd  peace  and  joy 
in  the  Holy  Ghost.  Come,  blessed  Comforter,  and  uehef 
it  into  every  willing  heart. 


lel  from 
ungodly 
It  battle 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  BOOK  OP  ISAIAH. 

*'Well  spake  the  Holy  Ghost  by  Esaias  the  prophet  unto  our 
fathers. ' ' — Acts  28 :  25. 

THE  name  ** Isaiah"  means  the  "Salvation  of  Je- 
hovah."   Isaiah  is  the  prophet  of  salvation,  and  the 
revealer  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  the  divine  agent  in  the  work  of  salvation. 


I. 


i% 


■fr, 


ISAIAH'S  CONSECRATION. 

Isaiah's  revelation  of  the  Holy  Ghost  begins  with  his 
own  call  and  consecration.  We  have  the  account  of 
this  remarkable  experience  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  Isaiah. 
It  began  with  a  vision  of  the  glory  of  God,  which  the 
Apostle  John  tells  us,  was  the  vision  of  Christ  in  His 
primeval   glory. 

The  immediate  effect  of  it  was  the  revelation  of  his 
own  sinfulness  and  unworthiness,  and  he  threw  himself 
upon  his  face,  crying,  **Woe  is  me!  for  I  am  undone; 
because  I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips,  .  .  .  for  mine 
eyes  have  seen  the  King,  the  Lord  of  hosts." 

Every  true  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  must  begin 
with  the  revelation  of  our  sin,  and  this  must  come 
from  the  revelation  of  God's  holiness  and  glory.  As 
soon  as  we  get  undone,  God  is  willing  to  begin  to  do 
exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that  we  ask  or  think. 

Isaiah  took  the  place  of  death,  and  then  came  the 
touch  of  life.  A  living  coal  from  the  heavenly  altar 
was  brought  by  one  of  the  seraphim  and  laid  upon  his 
lips.  What  an  angel's  fingers  could  not  endure  the 
lips  of  mortals  can  receive.    This  was  the  baptism  of  fire, 

206 


iiiifi 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  ISAIAH 


207 


A.IAH. 

into  our 

of  Je- 
ind  the 
B  Holy 
a. 


^rith  his 
mnt  of 

Isaiah, 
dch  the 

in  His 

of  his 
Ihimself 

ndone ; 
ir  mine 

begin 
It  come 
|y.     As 
to  do 
link, 
le  the 
altar 
ion  his 
ire  the 
of  fire, 


and  its  eflPeet  was  to  cleanse  his  lips  and  purge  away 
his  iniquity,  that  he  might  be  fitted  for  his  great  commis- 
sion. 

No  man  is  fit  to  represent  God  and  be  the  instrument 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  until  he  first  receives  the  cleansing 
power  of  God.  It  is  n'^t  the  baptism  of  power  we  first 
receive,  but  the  baptism  of  purity  of  fire  that  con- 
sumes and  cleanses  intrinsically  and  utterly. 

Like  the  baptism  of  Pentecost,  which  was  a  tongue 
of  fire,  so  it  came  to  Isaiah's  lips  and  so  it  must  come 
to  ours.  The  effect  was  consecration  for  service.  Then 
he  could  hear  the  voice  of  God.  Then  he  could  see  the 
great  purpose  of  Jehovah,  desiring  to  fill  the  earth  with 
His  glory.  Then  he  could  hear  the  heavenly  cry,  *  *  Whom 
shall  I  send,  and  who  will  go  for  us?"  And  then 
he  could  answer  unreservedly  and  unconditionally, 
*  *  Here  am  I ;  send  me. ' ' 

God  wants  to  send  His  workers,  but  He  will  send 
only  volunteers.  There  must  be  perfect  partnership. 
We  must  be  willing  to  go,  and  then  we  must  be  sent. 

But  how  was  Isaiah  sent?  He  was  sent  to  do  the 
hardest  work.  He  was  sent  to  a  people  that  would  not 
receive  him.  He  was  sent  knowing  that  his  message 
would  be  rejected.  He  was  sent  to  a  place  of  failure 
and  persecution,  and,  at  last,  to  a  martyr's  death.  He 
was  sent  to  know  that  his  words  would  come  back  as 
echoes  in  his  own  lifetime,  and  that  not  until  later 
generations  would  they  be  fully  received  and  the  glorious 
harvest  gathered. 

This  knowledge,  however,  made  no  difference  to  Isaiah. 
Enough  that  God  had  sent  him,  and  that  he  was  carry- 
ing out  the  divine  commission.  Some  would  receive  it; 
but  it  would  be  a  tenth,  a  remnant,  a  little  flock,  who 
would  hearken  to  his  voice  and  become  the  seed,  the 
holy  seed,  of  a  future  harvest. 

So  God  sends  us,  when  we  receive  the  baptism  of  fire. 
Often  there  is  hard,  uncongenial,  unrequited  service. 


Il 

f 
El 


m 


208 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


Let  us  go,  like  Isaiah,  as  the  witnesses  even  of  unpopular 
truth  and  a  misunderstood  ministAj,  So  long  as  the 
Master  is  honored  and  pleased,  what  are  men? 

We  are  talking  through  the  telephone  of  the  ages. 
Some  day  the  answer  will  come,  and  the  Lord  will  say, 
''Well  done!" 

n. 


5^ 


THE   HOLY   SPIRIT  IN   THE  LORD  JESUS  CHRIST. 

Isaiah's  next  unfolding  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  in  con- 
nection with  the  person  and  work  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  lie  gives  us  three  pictures  of  the  baptism  of 
Jesus  with  the  Spirit. 

The  first  is  in  the  eleventh  chapter,  from  the  second 
to  the  fourth  verse:  "And  the  Spirit  of  the;  Lord  shall 
rest  upon  him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding, 
the  spirit  of  counsel  and  might,  the  spirit  of  knowledge 
and  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord ;  and  shall  make  him  of 
quick  understanding  in  the  tear  of  the  Lord:  and  he 
shall  not  judge  after  the  sight  of  his  eyes,  neither  re- 
prove after  the  hearing  of  his  eai^s:  but  with  right- 
eousness shall  he  judge  the  poor,  and  reprove  with  equity 
for  the  meek  of  the  earth :  and  he  shall  smite  the  earth 
with  the  rod  of  his  mouth,  and  with  the  breath  of  his 
lips  shall  he  slay  the  wicked." 

Here  we  have  three  sets  of  qualities  which  the  Holy 
Ghost  w^as  to  bring  Christ.  First  are  His  intellectual 
enduemeuts,  "The  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understand- 
ing." 

V/isdom  is  the  power  to  apply  knowledge,  under- 
standing k-nowledge.  Both  are  necessary  to  real  practi- 
cal wisdom.  One  may  know  much,  and  yet  not  know 
how  to  use  it  to  advantage. 

The  Holy  Ghost  gives  not  only  knowledge,  but  practical 
wisdom.  So  He  rested  upon  the  Lord  Jesus,  as  He 
will  rest  upon  those  in  whom  Jesus  still  abides,  un- 


THE   HOLY   SPIRIT  IN  ISAIAH 


20i) 


folding  the  will  of  God,  the  mind  of  Christ,  the  mean- 
ing of  the  Scriptures,  their  particular  messages  to  us, 
and  the  lessons  of  our  lives  and  our  times. 

In  the  second  class  of  qualities  bestowed  on  Christ 
is  executive  power,  the  spirit  of  counsel  and  might. 
Counsel  is  the  power  to  plan  rightly,  and  might  the 
power  to  execute  our  plan. 

Without  a  good  plan  the  most  earnest  work  is  often 
a  failure,  and  without  executive  ability  the  best  plans 
often  come  to  nought.  In  human  affairs,  these  are 
usually  divided;  one  has  the  conceiving  mind,  and  an- 
other the  executive  right  arm.  But  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
both,  and  He  gave  both  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  mak- 
ing Him  the  Wonderful  Counsellor,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  the  Mighty  God,  whose  counsel  shall  stand  and 
who  will  do  all  His  pleasure. 

The  third  class  of  attributes  represents  the  moral 
and  spiritual:  "The  spirit  of  understanding,  and  the 
fear  of  the  Lord."  And  this  is  still  further  amplified 
by  the  words,  **IIe  shall  make  him  of  quick  under- 
standing (or  quick  smell)  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord." 
These  are  highest  attributes  of  character.  These  the 
Lord  Jesus  possessed  in  an  infinite  measure. 

The  Scotch  have  a  phrase  which  is  very  expressive. 
They  talk  of  "sensing"  things.  To  sense  a  thing  is 
not  to  reason  it  out  or  know  it  by  information,  but  it 
is  to  know  it  by  instinct  and  intuition.  It  is  somewhat 
like  the  sense  of  smell,  or  the  instinct  of  the  bird  that 
knows  the  poison  berry  by  the  flash  of  intuition,  while 
the  scientist  must  analyze  it  and  detect  the  poison 
by  a  chemical  search. 

Jesus  had  this  intuition  of  right  and  wrong,  this  in- 
stinctive intuition  of  His  Father's  mind  and  will,  this 
holy  fear  of  evil,  and  this  holy  intuition  of  good;  and 
this  the  sanctified  soul  has  in  proportion  as  it  knows  the 
Lord  Jesus  and  is  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 


M 

i' 

Ui  -; 

■-^  - 

-;t  HI 


210 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


f 


It  may  seem  strange  to  talk  about  Jesus,  the  Son  of 
God,  having  the  fear  of  His  Father.  But  the  more 
intimate  we  are  with  the  truest  lives,  the  more  respect 
and  veneration  we  have  for  them.  Love  is  not  opposed 
to  fear  in  this  high,  sweet  sense,  for  the  more  we  love 
and  trust  a  friend,  the  more  we  will  dread  to  displease 
him,  fear  to  offend  him,  and  sensitively  seek  to  please 
him. 

This  is  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  which  is  the  beginning 
of  wisdom,  which  the  Holy  Spirit  is  willing  to  give  to 
every  true  and  sanctified  heart.  Beloved,  let  us  receive 
this  indwelling  Christ  and  the  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  which  He  brings  in  wisdom,  executive  power, 
and  the  quick  sense  of  right  and  wrong. 

The  second  picture  of  the  baptism  of  Jesus  with  the 
Spirit  is  in  the  first  four  verses  of  the  forty-second 
chapter  of  Isaiah :  *  *  Behold  my  servant,  whom  I  uphold, 
mine  elect,  in  whom  my  soul  deligh+eth;  I  have  put 
my  Spirit  upon  him;  he  shall  bring  forth  judgment  to 
the  Gentiles.  He  shall  not  cry,  nor  lift  up,  nor  cause 
his  voice  to  be  heard  in  the  street.  A  bruised  reed 
shall  he  not  break,  and  the  smoking  flax  shall  he  not 
quench :  he  shall  bring  forth  judgment  unto  truth.  He 
shall  not  fail  nor  be  discouraged  till  he  have  set  judg- 
ment in  the  earth :    and  the  isles  shall  wait  for  his  law. ' ' 

Here  we  have  a  beautiful  blending  of  gentleness  and 
power  in  the  character  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  "He 
shall  not  cry,  nor  lift  up,  nor  cause  his  voice  to  be 
heard  in  the  street.  A  bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break, 
and  the  smoking  flax  shall  he  not  quench;  he  shall 
bring  forth  judgment  u^ito  truth.  He  shall  not  fail 
nor  be  discouraged  till  he  have  set  judgment  in  the  earth : 
and  the  isles  shall  wait  for  his  law." 

Every  truly  great  character  is  simple  and  gentle. 
Jesus  is  the  perfect  combination  of  the  lion  and  the  lamb, 
of  the  dove  and  the  eagle;   and  He  will  so  fill  us  that 


THE    HOLY   SPIRIT  IN  ISAIA.H 


211 


cause 

i  reed 

le  not 

He 

.iudg- 

law." 

and 

"He 

to  be 

Dreak, 

shall 

fail 

earth : 


we  shall  bo  crowned  with  the  glory  of  meekness  and  the 
strength  of  love. 

There  is  a  third  picture  of  the  baptism  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  is  found  in  the 
first  four  verses  of  the  sixty-first  chapter:  **The  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me;  because  the  Lord  hath 
anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  unto  the  meek:  he 
hath  sent  me  to  bind  up  the  broken-hearted,  to  proclaim 
liberty  to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison 
to  them  that  are  bound ;  to  proclaim  the  acceptable  year 
of  the  Lord,  and  the  day  of  vengeance  of  our  God; 
to  comfort  all  that  mourn;  to  appoint  unto  them  that 
mourn  in  Zion,  to  give  unto  them  beauty  for  ashes,  the 
oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  the  garment  of  praise  for  the 
spirit  of  heaviness;  that  they  might  be  called  trees  of 
righteousness,  the  planting  of  the  Lord,  that  he  might 
be  glorified.  And  they  shall  build  the  old  wastes,  thoy 
shall  raise  up  the  former  desolations,  and  they  shall  re- 
pair the  waste  cities,  the  desolations  of  many  genera- 
tions." 

This  well  known  passage  was  directly  applied  to  Him- 
self by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  His  public  address  at 
Nazareth.  Here  we  see  the  Holy  Spirit  anointing  the 
Lord  Jesus;  first,  for  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel  of 
salvation  to  the  poor;  secondly,  with  the  ministry  of 
healing;  thirdly,  the  ministry  of  deliverance  for  the 
captives  of  sin;  fourthly,  the  ministry  of  teaching,  the 
recovery  of  sight  to  the  blind ;  fifthly,  with  the  message 
of  His  coming,  to  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the 
Lord  and  the  day  of  vengeance  of  our  God ,  and,  finally, 
the  message  of  comfort  and  consolation  to  all  that  mourn. 

This  was  Christ's  ministry,  and  He  fulfilled  it  in 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  did  not  presume 
to  preach  the  Gospel  until  He  had  received  this  en- 
duement;  neither  should  we.  And,  as  we  receive  the 
same  Spirit,  ours  will  be  a  ministry  of  salvation,  a 
ministry"  of  healing,  a  ministry  of  sanctification,  a  min- 


I'  i 


^\  II 


212 


POWER   FROM   ON  HIGH 


s 

k 


istr;/  oi'  teaching,  a  ministry  ol'  hope,  a  ministry  of 
cunsolatiou,  joy  and  gladness. 

There  is  a  very  striking  order  in  these  three  passages 
respecting  Christ's  haptism.  First,  it  is  promised  in 
the  second  chapter,  by  the  prophet.  Next,  it  is  pro- 
claimed in  the  forty-second  chapter  by  the  Father  to 
the  Son.  Here,  it  is  confessed  by  the  Saviour,  and 
claimed  by  Himself,  as  He  goes  forth  to  exercise  the 
ministry   and  claim  the  power. 

Only  thus  can  we  receive  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit. 
It  is  promised  to  us  as  well  as  to  Him,  and  there  must 
come  a  moment  when  it  is  really  given  by  the  Word 
of  God  and  our  act  of  consecration.  Then  there  must 
come  a  third  step  when  we  ourselves  confess  it,  accept 
it,  and  step  forward  to  realize  it  in  the  actual  exercise 
of  the  gift  we  have  claimed,  by  proving  our  faith  in 
our  obedience.  As  we,  like  Jesus,  go  forth  with  the 
Gospel  of  salvation  in  dependence  on  the  power  of  the 
Spirit,  we,  too,  shall  find,  like  Him,  that  we  are  endued 
with  power  from  on  high. 

ra. 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  ON  ISRAEL  AS  A  NATION. 

We  have  a  beautiful  picture  of  this  outpouring  of 
the  Spirit  upon  Israel  in  Isaiah  27:15-18:  "Until  the 
Spirit  be  poured  upon  us  from  on  high,  and  the  wilder- 
ness be  a  fruitful  field,  and  the  fruitful  field  be  counted 
for  a  forest.  Then  judgment  shall  dwell  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  righteousness  remain  the  fruitful  field.  And 
the  work  of  righteousness  shall  be  peace ;  and  the  effect 
of  righteousness,  quietness  and  assurance  forever.  And 
my  people  shall  dwell  in  a  peaceable  habitation,  and  in 
sure  dwellings,  and  in  quiet  resting  places. ' ' 

This  follows  a  long  season  of  national  depression  and 
sorrow.  It  brings  a  complete  and  blessed  revolution, 
turning  the  nation  to  righteousness  and  God,  and  chang- 


THE   HOLY   SPIRIT  TN  TSAIAH 


213 


,■■1 


of 


ing  every  sorrow  into  prosperity,  blessing,  and  peace. 
The  first  droppings  of  this  hiesscd  rain  arc  already 
beginning  to  come,  and  the  remant  of  Israel  is  turning 
to  God,  as  well  as  many  to  their  aneient  fatherland. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  beginning  to  visit  the  seed  oT  Abra- 
ham, and  soon  the  wilderness  of  Palestine  shall  rejoice 
and  1  lossf  ^  as  the  rose.  Let  us  pray  for  Israel,  and 
its  restoration  will  be  to  the  Gentiles  and  to  i\\(t  world 
as  life  from  the  dead. 

There  is  another  picture  of  the  same  national  blessing 
in  Isaiah  59 :  19-21.  The  Apostle  Paul,  in  his  letter  to 
the  Romans,  quoted  from  this  passage  with  direct  refer- 
ence to  the  coming  of  Christ  and  the  return  of  Israel. 
This  is  to  be  accompanied  by  a  wide  effusion  of  the 
Spirit  from  on  high,  which  is  to  be  a  permanent  and 
everlasting  presence. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  not  going  to  leave  this  world  when 
Jesus  comes  back,  but,  as  of  old  He  dwelt  in  Christ 
in  the  days  of  His  suffering  and  humiliation,  so  He 
shall  dwell  in  Him  again  as  He  comes  to  reign  in  glory. 

All  that  we  know  of  His  comfort,  joy,  love  quicken- 
ing life,  and  effectual  power,  is  but  the  merest  foretaste 
of  the  glory  with  which  He  will  fill  us  in  those  coming 
ages.  Then  we  shall  know  not  only  the  fullness  of 
Jesus,  but  we  shall  receive  the  residue  of  the  Spirit, 
and  it  shall  be  true  of  Israel  and  of  the  Church  of  Christ, 
"My  Spirit  that  is  upon  thee,  .  .  .  shall  not  depart  out 
of  thy  mouth,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed,  nor  out 
of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed's  seed,  saith  the  Lord,  from 
henceforth  and  forever." 

IV. 
THE    HOLY    SPIRIT    FOR    EACH    OF    US    AS    INDIVIDUALS. 

There  is  another  and  a  greater  promise  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  in  Isaiah  which  each  of  us  may  claim  for  our- 
selves. It  is  found  in  the  forty-fourth  chapter,  verses 
three  to  five.    **For  I  will  pour  water  upon  him  that 


^4' 


^■I^MJiWgiig.! 


214 


POWER   FROM  ON   HIGH 


U 


is  thirsty,  and  floods  upon  the  dry  ground;  I  will 
pour  my  Spirit  upon  thy  seed,  and  my  blesvsing  upon 
thy  otrspring;  and  they  shall  spring  up  as  among  the 
grass,  as  willows  by  the  water-courses.  One  shall  say, 
I  am  the  Lord's;  and  another  shall  call  himself  by 
the  name  of  Jacob;  and  another  shall  subscribe  with 
his  hand  unto  the  Lord,  and  surname  himself  by  the 
name  of  Israel."  The  only  limitation  of  this  promise 
is  our  fitness  and  capacity  to  receive  it.  We  have  here 
a  beautiful  picture  of  the  field,  the  flood,  and  the  fruit. 

First,  the  field  is  "the  thirsty  and  the  dry  ground." 
In  nature  as  well  as  in  grace  there  must  be  a  prepara- 
tion of  the  soil  for  the  seed  and  the  harvest.  The  same 
seed  on  one  field  comes  to  nothing,  and  on  another 
it  produces  one  hundredfold;  so  the  Holy  Ghost  is  af- 
fected by  the  personal  qualities  of  the  heart  in  which 
lie  dwells,  and  the  capacity  of  the  soul  for  spiritual 
life,  power  and  blessing.  Some  seem  to  be  vessels  pre- 
pared unto  glory,  and  others  only  for  sin  and  evil. 

Two  men  sit  down  at  the  same  table.  To  one  it  is 
a  feast,  to  another  it  is  a  famine,  simply  because  the 
one  is  hungry  and  the  other  satisfied.  The  very  best 
dish  on  our  dinner  table  is  a  good  appetite.  So  God's 
spiritual  preparation  for  the  coming  of  His  Spirit  is 
a  deep  hunger  and  thirst.  Let  us  thank  Him  as  He 
gives  it  to  us,  and  show  more  need  than  fullness,  more 
want  than  blessing;  for  "blessed  are  they  which  do 
hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness:  for  they  shall 
be  filled." 

Our  best  preparation  for  the  Holy  Spirit  is  empti- 
ness, a  sense  of  need,  and  a  real  spiritual  capacity. 
Sometimes  God  has  to  bring  this  about  by  our  very 
failures,  and  a  revelation  to  us  as  to  our  nothingness 
and  worthlessness. 

Next,  we  find  that  on  such  a  soil  He  will  pour  out 
** floods."  It  is  not  merely  a  few  drops  of  rain,  but  the 
abundant  rain,  the  ample,  boundless  overflow  of  His 


THE   HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  ISAIAH 


215 


I  will 
;  upon 
ng  the 

II  say, 
elf  by 
e  witli 
by  the 
romise 
re  here 
}  fruit. 
Dund." 
repara- 
e  same 
mother 
t  is  af- 

which 
Diritual 
;ls  pre- 
1. 

le  it  is 
ise  the 
ry  best 
.  God's 
pirit  is 

as  He 
s,  more 
dch  do 
y  shall 

empti- 
ipacity. 
ir  very 
ingness 

)ur  out 
but  the 
of  His 


Holy  Spirit.  Oh,  that  we  might  prove  the  richer  lull- 
u€ss  of  this  promise,  and  let  Him  pour  out  a  blessing 
until  there  should  not  be  room  to  receive  it! 

Finally,  there  is  a  threefold  fruition.  First,  there 
is  the  salvation  of  individuals.  "One  shall  say,  1  am 
the  Lord's."  Next,  there  must  be  the  public  conftission 
of  those  who  are  saved.  "Another  shall  call  himself 
by  the  name  of  Jacob."  And,  thirdly,  there  is  the 
deeper  consecration  of  God's  people.  "Another  shall 
subscribe  with  his  hand  unto  the  Lord,  and  call  him- 
self by  the  name  of  Israel."  This  describes  a  higher 
spiritual  life. 

This  is  a  covenant  voluntarily  signed  between  the 
soul  and  the  Lord,  in  which  there  is  a  perfect  and  entire 
surrender,  and  a  complete  claim  of  all  His  blessing 
and  fullness. 

Then  comes  the  new  surname,  which,  as  with  the 
patriarch  Jacob  of  old,  marked  a  cri-is  in  his  history, 
and  a  new  departure  of  power  and  blessing.  Israel 
means  "a  Prince  with  God,"  the  conquering  soul,  the 
life  that  has  entered  into  the  divine  fullness. 

This  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghust,  to  lead  us  on  to 
all  these  things;  first,  to  accept  the  Lord,  then  to 
unite  with  His  people  and  to  acknowledge  Him  publicly, 
and  then  to  go  on  into  all  the  fullness  of  His  grace 
and  blessing. 

As  we  receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  we  must  go  on,  and 
only  as  we  go  on,  can  we  continue  to  receive  His  in- 
creasing and  satisfying  fullness.  Beloved,  have  we 
taken  all  the  steps?  Have  we  signed  the  personal  cov- 
enant? Have  we  special  relations  with  God?  Is  He 
to  us  what  He  is  to  no  one  else  ?  Have  we  recedved  the 
eternal  surname,  and  are  we  written  in  heaven  in  char- 
acters which  no  one  knoweth,  save  Him  that  gave 
the  name  and  the  soul  on  whom  He  has  inscribed  it? 

Such,  then,  is  Isaiah's  vision  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the 
Spirit  that  came  first  upon  him  and  enabled  him  to  re- 

14 


"""mmmmmt 


21  fi 


POWKR    I'KOM  ON    HIGH 


I 
I 


veal  it  to  others  iu  his  yet  more  glorious  ministry,  in 
the  person  ol"  the  liord  Jesus,  in  the  future  glory  of 
the  Jewish  nation,  and  in  the  soul  that  receives  His 
fullness. 

All  this  has  come  to  pass  in  the  ages  since  Isaiah's 
time.  We  are  living  in  the  noontide  light  and  glory  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  Have  these  ancient  promises  and  proph- 
esies been  fulfilled  to  us?  Has  the  vision  been  translated 
into  our  life?  Have  we  proved  this  part  of  God's  holy- 
Scriptures  ? 

Let  us  come  to  Him  as  did  Isaiah,  in  deep  spiritual 
hunger,  self-renunciation,  and  consecration.  Let  us  re- 
ceive the  living  seal  which  the  hand  of  Jesus  is  ready  to 
put  upon  our  lips  and  leave  upon  the  altar  of  our  hearts ; 
then  let  us  go  forth  like  Isaiah,  in  the  power  of  the 
Spirit  to  proclaim  His  grace  and  fullness,  and  to  become 
spiritual  conductors,  passing  the  blessing  on  to  the  souls 
that  are  hungering  and  perishing  around  us;  let  our 
lives,  like  Isaiah's  signify  "the  Salvation  of  Jehovah." 


;ry,  in 
ory  of 
ea  His 

»uiah's 
lory  of 
proph- 
iislated 
'a  holy 

piritual 
;  US  re- 
eady  to 
hearts ; 
of  the 
become 
lie  souls 
let  our 
lovah. ' ' 


CIIAl'TEK  XIX. 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  LIFE  AND  TESTIMONY  OP 

JEREMIAH. 

JEREMIAH,  although  occupying  in  comparison  with 
Isaiah  the  second  place  in  our  Old  Testament  canons, 
really  occupied  the  highest  place  in  the  mind  of  his 
people,  and  in  the  estimation  of  the  rabbis  and  religious 
k*aders  of  the  eJews.  So  supremely  was  he  regarded  as 
the  guardian  spirit  of  Judah  and  Jerusalem  that  they 
expected  him  to  come  back  from  the  dead  and  to  usher 
in  some  new  bright  era  of  national  hope  and  i)rosperity. 
Therefore,  when  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  performing  Ilis 
wondrous  miracles  upon  earth,  and  was  attracting  the 
attention  of  all  the  people,  we  find  that  many  of  them 
supposed  that  He  was  no  other  than  Jeremiah  who  had 
risen  from  the  dead. 

The  life  of  Jeremiah  is  inseparably  linked  with  the 
last  days  of  ancient  Judaism  and  the  fall  of  Jerusalem. 
The  period  of  his  ministry,  occupying  as  it  did  about 
forty  years,  was  singularly  parallel  to  the  forty  years  of 
the  ministry  of  Moses  in  the  beginning  of  Israel's  history. 
It  was  parallel,  also,  to  the  forty  years  of  trial  and  pro- 
bation which  preceded  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  in  later 
centuries,  after  the  testimony  of  Christ  and  His  apostles 
had  been  at  length  rejected. 

These  three  periods  of  forty  years  were  all  times  of 
probation,  and,  alas !  of  provocation,  on  the  part  of  Israel. 
Just  as  Moses  was  the  divine  messenger  under  the  first, 
so  Jeremiah  stood  under  the  second  with  loving  loyalty 
to  his  country  and  supreme  fidelity  to  His  God.  He  strove 
to  avert  the  awful  catastrophe  which  he  saw  so  swiftly 
and  surely  coming  upon  his  people.    When  at  last  he 

217 


11 


218 


POWER  FROM   ON   HIGH 


could  not  prevent  it,  he  shared  it  with  his  people;  and 
finally,  it  seems  probable,  perished  at  their  cruel  hands. 

The  story  of  his  lift  and  the  record  of  his  testimony 
are  full  of  the  most  touching  and  beautiful  manifesta- 
tions of  the  divine  character  and  love  and  of  the  working 
of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  New  Testament  has  borne  most  distinct  witness 
to  his  inspired  messages,  and  recognized  his  words  as 
the  messages  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  We  shall  glance  first, 
at  his  personal  call ;  next,  at  the  relation  of  his  life  and 
ministry  to  his  own  people  and  times ;  and,  finally,  at  his 
messages  for  later  ages  and  for  us  through  the  Spirit. 


I'  I 


i|! 


JEREMIAH  ^S  CALL  AND  COMMISSION. 

Jeremiah  has  given  an  -account  of  his  call  and  com- 
mission in  the  first  chapter  of  his  prophetic  book.  It  is 
not  unlike  the  story  of  Isaiah's  consecration  in  the  sixth 
chapter  of  his  prophecy.  God  came  to  him  and  announced 
to  him  before  his  birth  he  had  been  called  to  be  a 
prophet  unto  the  nations. 

His  commission  is  a  very  glorious  one.  '^I  have  this 
day  set  thee,"  He  says,  ''over  the  nations,  and  over  the 
kingdoms,  to  root  out,  and  to  pull  down,  .  .  .  and  to 
plant, ' '  Not  only  did  his  commission  extend  to  his  own 
people,  but  at  his  prophetic  word  the  mightiest  nations 
of  his  time  rose  and  fell.  The  mighty  armies  that  trav- 
ersed the  whole  earth  and  made  the  nations  to  tremble, 
moved  at  the  word  of  Jeremiah  through  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Alone  in  his  quiet  home  at  Anathoth,  or  suffering  in 
his  lone  dungeon  in  Jerusalem,  he  was  really  the  mightiest 
force  of  his  time.  It  was  his  prophetic  word  that  de- 
cided the  fate  of  dynasties  and  kingdoms. 

There  is  nothing  more  sublime  than  the  simple  power 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  gives  to  the  humblest  saint ;  and 
the  ministrj^  of  prayer  which  He  enables  the  lowliest 


thj:  holy  spirit  in  jeremiah 


219 


e;  and 
hands, 
timotiy 
iiifesta- 
t^orking 

witness 
ords  as 
ee  first, 
ife  and 
%  at  his 
)irit. 


id  com- 
c.  It  is 
he  sixth 
lounced 
;o  be   a 


ave  this 
)ver  the 
and  to 
his  own 
nations 
at  trav- 
tremble, 
'  Ghost, 
ring  in 
lightiest 
that  dfc- 

e  power 
nt;  and 
lowliest 


child  of  God  to  exercise.  Is  there  a  spectacle  more 
glorious  than  the  picture  given  us  nearly  a  century  later 
of  that  mighty  sovereign  of  the  east,  the  all  victoriDus 
Cyrus,  after  he  had  subdued  the  nations,  after  proud 
Babylon  had  fallen  beneath  hiS  feet,  after  the  whole 
world  had  become  his  empire,  compelled  by  an  influence 
that  he  could  not  understand,  to  fulfill  the  very  words  of 
Jeremiah's  prophecy? 

His  was  a  peculiar  prophetic  ministry,  no  doubt ;  but 
frod  will  give  a  similar  power  to  every  true  saint  who 
is  willing  in  the  name  of  Lord  Jesus  to  accept  the  high 
commission  and  the  holy  ministry  of  prayer,  and  to 
grasp  the  sceptre  of  faith  through  which  He  can  touch 
the  world  with  the  power  and  blessing  of  the  eternal 
God. 

The  commission  of  Jeremiah  was  a  very  remarkable 
one.  Naturally  he  seemed  wholly  unfitted  for  it.  Every- 
thing is  his  nature  recoiled  from  the  task  to  which  he 
was  called.  He  was  sensitive,  shrinking  and  loving. 
It  was  a  fearful  sacrifice  of  all  his  feelings  to  be  com- 
pelled to  stand  in  constant  antagonism  and  to  utter 
God's  rebukes  against  the  people  that  he  loved,  against 
princes,  priests,  and  prophets. 

Far  sweeter  would  it  have  been  for  him  to  weep  for 
Israel's  sorrows  and  even  to  suffer  for  her  sins;  but 
God  called  that  gentle  nature  to  be  the  messenger  of 
His  most  fearful  warnings  and  judgments,  and  to  pass 
through  an  ordeal  of  suffering  from  which  the  bravest 
heart  might  shrink.  He  did  shrink.  **I  am  a  child," 
he  said,  but  God  would  not  allow  him  to  plead  his 
weakness.  It  was  not  Jeremiah's  strength  that  was  to 
prevail,  but  God's  mighty  enduement  of  power  from  on 
high.  So  the  hand  of  God  stretched  out  and  touched 
his  li])s.  The  power  of  God  was  communicated  to  his 
shrinking  weakness,  and  ho  was  commanded  to  stand 
forth  without  a  doubt  or  a  fear,  and  to  speak  the  words 
that  God  should  inspire,  and  to  be  like  a  wall  of  adamant 


220 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


and  a  fortress  of  fire  against  the  priests,  the  princes,  the 
prophets,  and  the  people  of  the  land. 

In  like  manner  God  often  calls  us  to  ministries  for 
which  we  are  naturally  unfitted;  but  if  He  calls  and 
enables,  what  need  have  we  to  fear?  Indeed,  the  only 
thing  we  have  cause  to  fear  is  the  spirit  of  fear;  and 
when  we  step  forth  at  the  divine  command  to  fulfill 
such  sacred  trusts,  we  must  stand  in  fearless  courage 
and  absolute  obedience.  Yes,  we  might  almost  say,  au- 
dacity is  the  only  safe  position.  "Be  not  dismayed  at 
their  faces,  lest  I  confound  thee  before  them"  is  still 
as  true  for  us  as  it  was  for  Jeremiah  of  old. 


« 

^ 


II. 
Jeremiah's  relation  to  his  own  people  and  times. 

Jeremiah  lived  and  testified  through  the  reign  of  four 
of  Judah's  kings.  He  was  called  to  his  ministry  early 
in  the  reign  of  young  Josiah,  who,  having  inherited  a 
corrupt  throne,  found  himself,  while  yet  but  a  child, 
the  sovereign  of  a  people  who  hnd  been  stereotyped  in 
idolatry  and  sin.  The  long  reign  of  IManassah,  which 
covered  half  a  century,  was  paralleled  only  by  the  days 
of  Ahab  and  Jezebel;  and,  although  the  last  days  of  his 
life  led  him,  through  divine  judgment,  to  sincere  re- 
pentance, yet  they  were  too  short  to  undo  the  fearful 
crimes  of  a  long  reign.  After  the  short  reign  of  a  son 
as  wicked  as  himself,  Josiah  ascended  the  throne. 

He  was  destined  to  be  one  of  the  best  of  Judah's 
kings,  and  to  take  his  place  beside  Jehoshaphat  and 
Hezekiah  among  the  true  successors  of  David.  Begin- 
ning early  to  struggle  against  evil,  he  labored  courage- 
ously and  consistently  till  the  close  of  his  reign  for  the 
reformation  of  his  kingdom.  In  these  efforts  he  was 
seconded  by  the  faithful  Jeremiah.  Indeed,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the  reformation  was  due,  under  God,  chiefly 
to  the  labors  of  Jeremiah  himself. 


THE  HOLV  SPIRIT  IN  JEREMIAH 


221 


lor 


liefli 


Day  by  day  he  stood  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem, 
littering  his  tender  and  solemn  messages.  His  earlier 
addresses  have  been  preserved  to  us  in  the  beginning 
of  his  prophecy.  Reminding  the  people  of  God's  ancient 
covenant  and  their  former  faithfulness  and  blessing,  he 
appealed  with  tender  solemn  pathos  to  their  hearts. 
**Thus  saith  the  Lord,"  he  would  cry,  **I  remember 
thee,  the  kindness  of  uiy  youth,  the  love  of  thy  espousals, 
when  thou  wentest  after  me  in  the  wilderness."  And 
that  he  would  renew  the  appeal,  and  cry,  *  *  Have  I  been 
a  wilderness  unto  Israel?  a  land  of  darkness?"  ''My 
people  have  committed  two  evils.  They  have  forsaken 
me  the  fountain  of  living  waters,  and  hewed  them 
out  cisterns,  broken  cisterns,  that  can  hold  no  water." 

Then  as  he  saw,  perhaps,  their  cold  indifference  or 
scornful  unbelief,  there  would  follow  some  solemn  mes- 
sage, the  vision  of  coming  calamity,  the  dramatic  picture 
of  the  invader  and  the  besieging  army  from  the  north 
and  the  impending  fall  of  Jerusalem.  Or  sometimes  his 
heart  would  break  out  in  a  wail  of  despair  and  anguish, 
"Oh,  that  mine  head  were  waters,  and  mine  eyes  a 
fountain  of  tears,  that  T  might  weep  day  and  night  for 
the  slain  of  the  daughter  of  my  people!"  "Is  there 
no  balm  in  Gilead?  Is  there  no  physician  there?  Why 
then  is  not  the  hoalth  of  the  daughter  of  my  people 
recovered?"  "The  harvest  is  past,  the  summer  is  ended, 
and  we  are  not  saved." 

Thus  he  preached  and  pleaded  and  warned  and  waited, 
year  after  year.  Gradually  some  improvement  appeared, 
until  after  a  while  it  seemed  as  though  the  clouds  were 
passing,  and  the  nation  were  returning  to  their  God. 

At  this  time  a  strange  and  important  incident  oc- 
curred. It  was  the  finding  of  a  lost  copy  of  the  law 
amid  the  rubbish  of  the  temple.  The  house  of  God 
had  become  like  a  filthy  stable,  and  had  been  given  up 
to  the  rites  of  idolatry  for  generations.  But,  as  they 
were  cleansing  it  at  the  commandment  of  Josiah.  they 


222 


POWER  FROM  ON    HIGH 


found  amid  the  wreck  and  debris  an  old  copy  of  the  law 
of  Moses.  Perhaps  it  was  the  book  of  Deuteronomy; 
perhaps  it  was  a  larger  scroll  containing  the  entire  law. 
It  made  the  deepest  impression  upon  the  prophet  and 
the  king. 

It  was  like  the  finding  of  Luther's  Bible  in  the  six- 
teenth century.  It  was  solemnly  brought  to  the  king,  and 
then  the  priests  and  the  people  were  gathered  together 
in  public  convocation  and  the  sacred  book  was  read.  As 
thy  listened  to  the  voice  of  God,  and  learned  His  precepts 
and  commandments,  which  for  ages  they  had  neglected 
and  disobeyed,  there  began  to  fall  upon  them  something 
like  the  spirit  of  a  true  humiliation  and  reformation. 

Following  up  the  movement,  Josiah  summoned  the 
whole  nation  to  Jerusalem,  and  sent  out  a  universal  call 
for  a  great  Passover.  They  came  from  north  and  south 
and  east  and  west ;  and  some  even  of  the  remnant  of  Is- 
rael gathered  with  them ;  and  there  they  kept  the  Pass- 
over as  it  had  not  been  kept  for  (generations. 

One  would  have  thought  that  all  this  must  have  filled 
the  heart  of  Jeremiah  with  joy  and  confidence.  Doubt- 
less he  did  appreciate  fully  even  the  transient  awakening. 
But  it  brought  to  him  one  of  those  crises  which  are  most 
trying  to  a  faithful  minister.  H©  saw  the  shallowness 
of  the  movement.  He  saw  the  deep  insincerity  on  the  part 
of  the  leaders.  He  saw  that  the  heart  of  the  people  was 
wedded  to  idolatry  and  sin,  and  that  all  this  was  but 
superficial  and  would  soon  pass  away.  They  were  willing 
to  go  so  far;  but  a  radical  revival  that  would  separate 
them  from  all  idolatry  and  sin,  and  from  the  gross  vices 
and  unrighteousness  which  pervaded  the  whole  national 
life,  for  this  they  were  unwilling.  He  saw  with  the 
vision  of  divine  discernment  that  nothing  short  of  this 
revival  would  avert  the  impending  stroke. 

So  be  pleaded  moi*e  solemnly  that  evei*.  He  sum- 
moned the  princes,  the  priests,  the  prophets,  and  the 
people  to  righteousness  and  holiness ;  to  circumcise  their 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  JEREMIAH 


223 


hearts  and  not  merely  rest  in  a  ceremonial  worship  or 
an  outward  reformation. 

But  his  messages  found  little  response.  The  transient 
reformation  passed  by;  the  hearts  of  the  people  were 
still  unsanctified;  the  prophet  was  sure  that  the  day 
of  judgment  for  Judah  was  only  delayed  but  not  averted. 

It  was  not  long  before  clouds  began  to  gather  more 
dark  and  hopeless  than  before.  In  an  evil  hour  Josiah 
was  led  into  a  foolish  and  hasty  campaign  against  the 
king  of  Egypt.  Neglecting  the  warning  which  God  sent 
to  him  through  the  lips  of  that  heathen  king,  he  rashly 
ventured  into  the  forbidden  conflict,  and  left  his  life 
upon  the  bloody  field  of  Megiddo. 

With  Josiah 's  death  the  last  hope  of  Judah  died, 
and  Jeremiah  utter  over  him  a  lamentation  which  was 
the  very  cry  of  despair.  Then  began  that  chain  of  crimes 
and  calamites  which  culminated  in  the  fall  of  Jeru- 
salem and  the  cp^tivity  of  Judah. 

Jehoiakim,  the  immediate  successor  of  Josiah,  was 
a  counterpart  of  Ahab  and  Jeroboam  in  the  worst 
days  of  Israel.  He  set  at  naught  all  the  counsels  and 
warnings  of  the  pronhet.  When,  at  last,  Jeremiah  had 
Barak  to  read  to  him  from  his  prophetic  scroll  the 
solemn  judgment  which  God  had  pronounced  against 
him,  instead  of  the  least  show  of  repentance,  he  took 
his  penknife,  cut  the  objectionable  words  out  of  the 
scroll,  and  threw  them  into  the  fire. 

The  prophet  returned  to  his  house,  rewrote  the  threat- 
enings  of  Jehovah  with  many  terrible  additions,  and 
sent  them  back  to  the  king.  Again  and  again  was  Jehoia- 
kim warned  of  his  impending  ruin ;  but  his  heart  seemed 
given  up  to  an  utter  infatuation  of  willfulness  and 
wickedness,  until,  at  last,  after  an  infamous  reign  of 
eleven  years,  he  was  slain  in  a  night  attack  by  the 
Babylonian  army  upon  Jerusalem,  and  his  lifeless  body 
was  exposed  in  the  open  fields.  Men  said  in  after  ages 
that  on  the  withered  forehead  could  be  read  in  awful 


I' t . 
■1  li 


m 


224 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


characters  the  name  of  the  evil  spirit  whom  he  had 
followed  all  his  life. 

Jeremiah  had  predicted  long  before  that  the  wicked 
king  should  be,  "buried  with  the  burial  of  an  ass," 
and  his  wretched  life  ended  in  shame  and  ruin.  His 
reputation  was  so  desperate  that  he  was  not  even  buried 
in  the  sepulchres  of  the  kings. 

H^  was  followed  by  Jehoiachin,  who  was  really  the 
puppet  and  creature  of  the  Babylonian  monarch.  After 
a  short  and  uneventful  reign,  he  in  turn  was  succeeded 
by  Zedekiah,  the  last  of  Judah's  kings. 

Zedekiah  was  weak  and  irresolute  rather  than  obsti- 
nately wicked.  His  whole  reign  was  marked  by  vacilla- 
tion and  cowardice.  He  had  a  certain  measure  of  re- 
spect for  the  messages  of  Jeremiah,  sometimes  sending 
for  him,  and  seeming  to  listen  to  his  counsels  and  to 
desire  to  carry  them  out ;  but  he  feared  the  princes  and 
the  people,  and  had  not  the  courage  to  obey  his  own 
convictions. 

Again  and  again  did  Jeremiah  assure  him  that,  if  he 
would  but  obey  the  voice  of  God,  even  yet  he  and  his 
kingdom  would  be  spared;  but  as  surely  as  he  per- 
sisted in  the  counsels  of  the  people  and  the  princes,  and 
depended  upon  the  alliances  of  the  neighboring  nations, 
both  he  and  his  kingdom  should  perish. 

Many  were  the  vicissitudes  and  trials  of  the  faithful 
prophet  during  these  last  years.  Again  and  again  was 
he  exposed  to  the  charge  of  disloyalty  and  treated  ;is 
an  enemy  of  his  country.  Again  and  again  did  the 
false  prophets  testify  against  him  and  try  to  bolster 
up  the  hopes  of  the  people  by  deceiving  visions  of  com- 
ing prosperity.  Sometimes  he  was  pursued  for  his  life. 
Often  he  was  exposed  to  imprisonment  and  the  severest 
hardships,  and  left  even  for  days  to  sink  in  the  mire 
of  his  dungeon,  and  was  saved  from  death  only  by  the 
interposition  of  compassionate  strangers. 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  JEREMIAH 


225 


iful 


And  so  the  years  rolled  by,  until  at  last  the  cup  of 
iniquity  was  full  and  the  divine  judgment  could  wait 
no  longer.  The  Babylonian  {  invaded  the  land.  The 
cordon  of  destruction  tightened  around  Jerusalem,  and, 
at  last,  the  walls  were  broken  up  and  the  Chaldeans 
entered.  Zedekiah  sought  for  safety  in  cowardly  flight, 
and  succeeded  in  reaching  the  plains  of  Jericho  with  a 
small  retinue;  but  he  was  pursued  by  the  Babylonians 
and  captured.  He  and  his  sons  were  taken  into  the 
presence  of  Nebuchadnezzar.  His  sons  were  murdered 
before  his  eyes;  and,  as  if  to  stereotype  this  last  and 
hideous  vision  forever  on  his  memory,  his  eyes  were 
then  cruelly  put  out,  and  he  was  taken  in  blindness 
and  bondage  to  Babylon,  and  'left  to  end  his  days  as  a 
royal   captive. 

"What  was  the  fate  of  Jeremiah?  He  had  been  true 
to  God,  and  God  had  not  failed  him  in  this  dark  and 
dreadful  hour.  The  Babylonian  king  having  heard  of 
his  high  and  heroic  character,  gave  orders  to  his  officers 
that  Jeremiah  should  be  carefully  sought  out  and  guard- 
ed from  all  harm.  Not  a  hair  of  his  head  was  touched, 
but  he  was  treated  with  honor  and  every  consideration. 
He  was  given  his  choice  of  going  to  Babylon,  with 
liberty  and  ample  provision  for  his  every  need,  or  of 
remaining  among  his  own  people.  Of  course,  he  chose 
the  latter.  He  had  lived  for  them,  and  he  was  ready 
to  die  with  them;  and  so  he  remained  among  the  rem- 
nant that  were  left  after  the  deportation  of  most  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Jerusalem  as  captives  to  Babylon. 

It  is  said  that  he  went  down  with  those  who  went  to 
Egypt  and  dwelt  among  them,  still  counseling  them  and 
teaching  them  the  messages  of  God;  but  they  refused 
his  warnings  and  counsels,  and  ultimately,  tradition  has 
reported,  they  even  took  the  prophet's  life.  He  became 
one  of  the  glorious  list  of  martyrs  of  truth  who  sealed 
their  testimony  with  their  blood. 

Humanly  speaking,  his  life  was  not  a  success;    but 


226 


POWER   FROM.   ON   HIGH 


when  the  books  shall  be  opened  and  the  rewards  shall 
be  given,  it  will  be  found  that  Jeremiah's  life  outweighed 
the  most  successful  and  brilliant  career.  Ilis  was  the; 
high  honor  of  remaining  true  to  God  and  faithful  to 
his  trust,  even  in  the  fact  of  seeming  failure  and  the 
martyr's  death. 

This  is  true  success,  and  this  was  the  glorious  testi- 
mony of  Jeremiah's  life. 

III. 

HIS    MESSAGE    TO    OUR    TIMES. 

Let  US  look  finally  at  his  message  to  us  in  later  ages. 
His  prophetic  writings  are  full  of  messages  for  future 
times.  The  very  failure  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah  was 
but  a  back-ground  for  the  vision  of  the  true  kingdom 
which  the  future  was  to  bring. 

He  saw,  as  no  other  had  ever  seen,  how  powerless 
was  the  highest  teaching  or  the  severest  suffering  to  lead 
to  virtue  and  faithfulness.  Alas !  the  secret  of  failure  was 
found  in  the  wretched  material  of  poor,  fallen  human 
nature  and  the  need  of  a  strength  higher  than  human 
purpose,  or  even  the  light  of  truth  and  example.  He 
looked  forw'ard  with  deep  longing  to  the  bright  day  of 
the  New  Testament,  the  coming  Saviour,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

As  a  result,  Jeremiah  has  given  to  us  out  of  the  dark- 
ness and  failure  of  his  own  time,  the  inspired  vision 
of  the  new  covenant,  the  Gospel,  and  the  work  of  the 
Spirit.  The  writer  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hobrows  has 
repeatedly  quoted  from  this  ancient  prophet  the  most 
comprehensive  statement  of  the  new  covenant  which  has 
ever  been  given  to  the  Church  of  God. 

It  is  found  in  the  thirty-first  chapter  of  Joreraiah, 
from  the  thirty-first  verse  to  the  thirty-fourth.  **  Be- 
hold the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I  will  make  a 
new  covenant  with  the  house  of  Israel  and  with  the 
house  of  Judah; 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  JEREMIAH 


227 


"Not  aot'ording  to  the  covenant  that  I  made  with 
their  i'atliers,  in  the  day  that  1  took  them  by  the  hand, 
to  bring  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt;  which  my 
covenant  they  brake,  although  1  was  an  husband  unto 
them,  saith  the  Lord; 

"But  this  shall  be  the  covenant  that  I  shall  make 
with  the  house  of  Israel;  After  these  days,  saith  the 
Lord,  I  will  put  my  law  in  their  inward  parts,  and 
write  it  in  their  hearts;  and  will  be  their  God,  and 
they  shall  be  luy  people. 

"And  they  shall  teach  no  more  every  man  his  neigh- 
bor, and  every  man  his  brother,  saying,  Know  the  Lord ; 
for  they  shall  all  know  me,  from  the  least  of  them  unto 
the  greatest  of  them,  saith  the  Lord :  for  I  will  forgive 
their  iniquity  and  I  will  remember  their  sin  no  more." 

The  distinguishing  feature  of  this  new  covenant  which 
Jeremiah  announced  lies  in  the  fact  that  God  promises 
to  write  His  law  upon  our  hearts,  and  to  "put  it  in  our 
inward  parts."  The  old  covenant  gave  light  and  law, 
but  it  did  not  give  the  power  and  disposition  to  obey  it. 
But  the  new  covenant  writes  it  in  our  inmost  being; 
makes  it  part  of  our  very  nature;  incorporates  it  into 
our  will,  our  choice,  our  desires,  our  very  intuitions, 
so  that  it  becomes  second  nature  to  us,  our  spontaneous 
desire,  and  our  deepest  life. 

This  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  This  is  the 
meaning  of  sanctification.  This  is  the  great  purpose 
of  Christ's  redemption  and  His  indwelling  in  the  heart 
of  the  believer  through  the  Spirit. 

It  is  God  who  undertakes  to  keep  this  covenant.  It 
is  not  dependent  upon  what  we  do ;  but  He  becomes  our 
God  first  and  makes  us  His  people.  He  undertakes  to 
teach  us  and  to  reveal  to  us  by  the  Holy  Spirit  the  mean- 
ing of  His  will,  the  nature  of  His  covenant,  and  the 
purposes  of  His  grace  and  love. 

We  are  not  dependent  upon  outward  instruction  mere- 


mm 


228 


POWER  FROM   ON   HIGH 


\y ;  but  each  of  us  has  access  to  ITim,  and  may  f  n.joy  the 
personal  teaching  of  the  Holy  (J host. 

Tt  will  be  noticed  that  the  forgiveness  of  sins  is  not 
the  primary  promise  of  this  chapter.  It  is  secondary, 
and  follows  as  a  matter  of  course;  but  the  primary 
feature  of  the  great  promise  is  the  power  of  divine 
grace  to  keep  from  sin,  and  to  lead  us  into  righteousness 
and  holiness. 

This  is  the  glorious  Gospel  which  Jesus  has  come  to 
bring  in  its  fullness,  and  of  which  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
at  once  the  Revealer  and  the  Enabler.  It  brings  not 
merely  the  message  of  repentance  and  forgiveness  with 
the  dreary  prospect  of  continued  sin.  It  comes  not 
only  to  forgive  the  past,  but  to  assure  us  of  a  power  that 
will  keep  us  for  the  future,  and  put  into  us  a  nature 
that  is  in  its  tendency  holy  and  divine,  and  that  leads 
us  to  choose  the  will  of  God  and  the  life  of  holy  obedi- 
ence. 

Beloved,  have  we  learned  this  blessed  message  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  through  Jeremiah  ?  Have  we  come  into  this 
new  covenant  ?  Have  we  proved  the  fullness  of  salvation 
through  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  law 
written  upon  our  inmost  hearts? 

Another  message  which  Jeremiah  has  left  for  later 
times  is  the  lesson  of  faith  which  he  has  given  in  the 
thirty-second  chapter  of  his  prophecy.  It  was  a  very 
striking  object  lesson.  In  the  days  when  the  future  was 
as  dark  as  calamity  could  make  it,  when  the  whole  land 
was  in  the  possession  of  the  Chaldeans,  and  the  city  was 
about  to  fall;  at  a  time  when  real  estate  in  Judah  was 
practically  worthless,  Jeremiah  was  commanded  to  invest 
his  means  in  his  patrimonial  estate  in  the  village  of 
Anathoth.  It  would  seem  like  throwing  money  away; 
but  instead  of  hesitating,  he  immediately  obeyed  the 
divine  command,  and,  publicly,  before  all  the  people, 
completed  the  purchase,  subscribed  the  papers,  had  the 
transaction  duly  attested  and  sealed,  and  put  his  little 


THE  ITOLY  SPIRIT  IN  .TJ^RKMIAII 


229 


fortune  into  the  piece  of  property  which  he  knew  for 
two  generations  would  be  under  the  blight  of  the  long 
captivity  of  Judah. 

What  did  it  all  mean?  It  was  a  practical  expression 
of  his  faith  in  the  future  of  his  country,  and  of  the 
fact  that  a  day  was  eoming  when  that  inheritance  would 
be  worth  all  its  cost,  when  that  estate  would  come  back 
to  his  family  again,  and  when  his  own  glorious  promise 
of  Israel's  restoration  would  be  fulfilled. 

It  was  stepping  out  in  the  dark  hour  and  committing 
himself  to  the  promise  of  God.  It  was  counting  upon 
the  things  that  are  not  ius  though  they  were.  It  was  the 
faith  that  anticipates  the  future,  and  in  the  midnight 
hour  lifts  up  its  song  of  praise,  and  puts  its  foot  upon 
the  seeming  void  "and  finds  the  rock  beneath." 

This  is  the  spirit  of  true  faith  in  every  age.  We 
too,  like  Jeremiah,  must  count  upon  God's  Word  when 
there  is  nothing  else  to  count  upon,  and  must  exercise 
that  faith  that  is  ''the  substance  of  things  hoped  for, 
and  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen."  We  must  step 
out  in  the  dark  and  empty  void,  and  know  that  God 
is  underneath  us,  and  that  the  vision  of  faith  and  the 
promise  of  the  future  are  as  certain  and  real  as  His 
eternal  throne. 

There  is  yet  another  message  for  future  times  which 
Jeremiah  has  left  us,  and  on  which  for  a  moment  we 
linger,  It  is  found  in  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  his 
prophecy.  It  is  the  figure  of  the  potter  and  his  vessel. 
The  prophet,  having  gone  down  to  the  potter's  house, 
saw  him  working  a  vessel  upon  a  wheel;  but,  through 
some  cause,  the  vessel  was  marred  in  the  hand  of  the 
potter.  Perhaps  the  clay  did  not  yield  to  his  touch, 
and  would  not  lie  plastic  in  his  hands.  He  had  to  throw 
it  aside,  and  it  seemed  as  if  his  work  had  failed,  and 
that  even  the  material  was  rejected.  Oh.  how  solemnly 
it  speaks  to  us  of  our  past  failures !  Perhaps  God  took 
lis  in  hand,  and  began  to  work  gut  in  our  life  some 


230 


POWEIl  FROM   ON  HIGH 


f^raeiouH  purpose;  but  we  slirank  from  the  ordeal;  we 
refused  to  s'libmit  to  His  will.  Wc  askrd  jjii  vasirr  way, 
we  held  back  from  the  cross;  and  (jod  siieiniiijj:  unable 
to  accomplish  His  high  and  holy  purpose,  had  to  put 
us  aside  and  let  His  gracious  plan  seem,  for  the  time,  to 
fail.  Oh,  how  sad  and  solemn  the  wrecks  that  lie  behind 
us  through  our  willfulness,  our  unbelief,  and  our  un- 
willingness to  trust  our  Father's  wisdom  and  love  in  the 
testing  hour! 

But  there  is  a  beautiful  sequel  to  Jeremiah's  parable. 
The  clay  was  not  thrown  away;  but  the  potter  took 
it  up  again  and  fiishioned  it  again,  another  vessel, 
"as  it  pleastnl  the  potter  to  make  it."  There  wa.s  a 
time  when  1  think  I  interpreted  this  vision  wrongly, 
and  thought  it  meant  that  God  took  up  our  broken 
lives  and  made  the  best  of  them  that  He  could;  but 
that  it  was  not  all  that  He  had  at  first  intended.  I 
believe  that  the  grace  of  God  loves  to  triumph  even 
over  our  self-will,  and  1  cannot  but  think  that  even  in 
the  very  terms  of  Jeremiah's  object  lesson,  there  are 
lines  of  hope  and  divine  encouragement,  and  that  we 
may  dare  to  believe  that  the  vessel  which  the  potter 
made  the  second  time  was  even  a  better  vessel  than 
he  had  tried  to  make  before,  because,  we  are  told,  **He 
made  it  again  another  vessel,  as  it  seemed  good  to  the 
potter  to  make  it."  This  time  it  was  not  our  pleasure 
but  His  that  was  accomplished.  Perhaps  he  gave  us 
grace  to  yield  our  stubborn  will  and  to  submit  with 
confidence  to  his  hand.  Perhaps,  in  His  wondrous  and 
over-niling  mercy,  He  ])rought  us  to  full  surrender  and 
subdued  our  willfulness.  At  least.  His  mighty  love 
triumphed  over  all  hindrances.  His  will  was  accomplish- 
ed, and  His  high  purpose  was  fulfilled.  Yes,  the  grace 
of  God  is  able,  not  only  for  Satan  and  for  sin,  but  for 
Belf  too,  and  strong  enough  to  overcome  the  opposition 
of  our  w^eak  and  willful  hearts. 

Thank  God  for  One  whose  sovereign  grace  saved  us 


V 

i: 

r 

C 


f  ■ 


THE  TIOLY  SPIRIT  IN  JEREMIAH 


231 


when  we  wero  dead  in  sin,  and  whoso  all-sufficient  power 
is  able  to  save  us  to  the  uttermost,  to  bring  us  to  the 
piaco.  where,  some  day,  we  shall  say,  "Not  unto  us, 
0  God,  not  unto  us,  but  unto  Thy  name  be  all  th«» 
glory." 

"Grace  all   the  work  shall  crown, 
To  everlasting  days, 
It  lays  in  heaven  that  topmost  stone 
And  well  deserves  the  praiM." 


15 


CHAPTER  XX. 
THE  HOLr  SPIRIT  IN  EZEKIEL. 


**The  word  of  the  Lord  <:anie  expressly  unto  Ezekiel  the 
priest,  the  son  of  Buzi,  in  the  land  of  the  Chaldeans  by  the  river 
Ohehar;  and  the  liand  of  the  Lord  was  there  upon  him," — F^zekiel 
1:3. 

THE  ministry  of  Ezekiel  was  dramatic  and  pathetic. 
Like  Jeremiah's,  it  was  connected  with  the  fall  of 
Judah,  but  it  differed  in  this,  that  wliile  Jeremiah 
was  present  amid  the  scenes  of  sorrow  connected  with 
that  awful  tragedy.  Ezekiel  was  far  removed  and  saw 
it  in  vision  only,  from  the  distant  banks  of  the  river 
Chebar.  God  showed  it  all  to  him,  and  day  by  day 
the  painful  panorama  passed  before  his  eyes  and  was 
reproduced  to  his  countiymen  around  him  in  his  in- 
spired visions;  so  that,  the  very  day  the  city  fell,  he 
knew  it  in  his  spirit,  although  the  tidings  did  not  reach 
him  until  years  afterward. 

Indeed,  in  his  own  personal  life  he  became  a  sort  of 
object  lesson  of  the  events  which  he  described,  and  in 
which  he  was  so  deeply  interested  as  a  prophet  and 
a  patriot.  In  his  own  person  he  suffered  in  type  and 
figTire  what  his  country  and  people  were  enduring.  He 
went  through  the  days  of  famine,  eating  unclean  food, 
and  setting  forth  in  his  own  sufferings  the  horrors  of  the 
approaching  calamities. 

The  day  that  Jerusalem  fell,  his  own  wife  died,  and  he 
knew  that  she  was  made  in  God's  mysterious  providence 
an  awful  picture  of  the  blow  that  had  fallen  upon 
Jerusalem.  Thus  he  both  lived  and  taught  the  lessons 
of  his  time,  and  left  the  wondrous  record  for  the  in- 
struction of  later  ages. 

The  events  that  were  transpiring  around  him  formed 

232 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT   IN  EZEKIEL 


233 


a  fitting  framework  for  the  message  of  faith  and  hope 
which  he  was  sent  to  unveil  for  the  future.  Through 
the  wreck  of  Israel's  national  histoi-y,  he  was  able  to  see, 
as  through  the  broken  walls  of  a  ruined  building,  the 
light  of  the  coming  dispensation  and  the  promise  of  a 
better  hope. 

His  pages  shine  with  the  light  of  the  Gospel,  un- 
folding with  a  clearness,  that  even  Isaiah  does  not  sur- 
pass, the  times  of  the  Messiali,  and  especially  the  person 
and  work  of  the  blessed  Holy  Spirit.  Nowhere  are  there 
more  sublime  heights  of  holy  vision,  and  nowhere  more 
clear,  spiritual  and  practical  unfoldings  of  truth  re- 
specting the  spiritual  life  and  the  dispensation  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Let  us  look  at  three  remarkable  visions 
of  his  prophecy. 

THE  VISION  OF  THE  GLORY. 

The  prophecy  opened  with  an  extraordinary  vision 
of  peculiar  sublimity  and  majesty,  revealing  the  glory 
of  the  Lord  in  the  mighty  working  of  His  Spirit  and 
providence. 

First,  he  saw  a  whirlwind  coming  from  the  north, 
the  direction  from  which  the  enemies  of  Israel  came, 
and  where  the  great  world  empires  had  their  seat. 

In  the  midst  of  this  whirlwind  there  was  a  fire  m- 
folding  itself;  a  sort  of  whirlwind  fire,  turning  upon 
it  own  axis,  and  sweeping  on  in  majesty  and  glory.  The 
whirlwind  and  the  fire  have  already  been  made  familiar 
as  the  symbols  of  God  and  His  manifested  presence  and 
glory. 

Next,  he  beheld  in  the  midst  of  the  fiery  whirlwind 
four  living  creatures.  These  were  the  cherubim.  We 
have  already  seen  them  at  the  gate  of  Eden  and  in  the 
Tabernacle  and  the  Temple,  and  they  reappear  in  the 
vision  of  the  Apocalypse. 

They  are  .special  symbols  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and   God's    infinite   attributes   and   mighty   workings 


2U 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


through  Ilim.  The  faces  of  the  lion,  the  ox,  the  eagle, 
and  the  man  represent  the  sovereignty,  the  power,  the 
iutciligenec,  and  the  love  which  guide  all  the  government 
of  God  and  the  whole  plan  of  redemption  which  He 
is  working  out  through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

These  cherub  forms  were  robed  in  fire,  and  they 
moved  like  the  lightning  and  the  living  flame.  As  in 
the  other  representations  of  the  cherubic  figures,  they 
had  six  wings,  denoting  the  swiftness  and  celerity  of 
their  movements.  To  still  heighten  the  figure,  there 
were,  next,  four  mighty  wheels,  so  vast  in  the  sweep 
of  their  circumference  that,  to  the  prophet's  eye,  they 
seemed  terrible  in  their  majesty.  Their  tires  were  full 
of  eyes,  all  around  their  vast  (.ircr  "ference. 

These  wheels  kept  time  i  L.c  movement  of  the 
wings  of  the  cherubim,  and  bore  the  cherubic  forms 
wherever  the  Spirit  directed:  for  "the  Spirit  of  the 
living  creatures  was  in  the  wheels." 

This  wonderful  vision  represented  the  majesty,  the 
grandeur,  the  power,  and  the  celerity  of  the  operations 
of  God's  mighty  Spirit  and  imiversal  providence.  It 
was  the  sublime  figure  of  the  omnipresence  and  infinite 
activity  of  the  living  God  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  who,  as 
the  divine  Executive,  is  ever  carrying  out  His  purposes 
and  plans. 

All  this  sublime  imagery  was  but  the  '  'iiiidation  for 
something  still  grander.  For  the  prorh.  tr't  beheld, 
above  the  cherubim,  the  wings,  and  the  wht  'a  mighty 
firmament,  shining  in  its  transparent  brightness  like 
the  terrible  crystal;  and  on  this  firmament  a  glorious 
throne  like  a  flaming  jasper;  on  this  throne,  as  the 
centre  of  the  whole  vision  and  the  sublime  climax  of  the 
whole  picture,  was  "the  likeness  as  the  appearance  of  a 
man  above  upon  it." 

This  was  the  glorious  mediatorial  thione  of  the  Lord 
Jes^is  Christ,  and  around  about  it  w^.;  ihe  rainbow  of 
covenant  promise,  softening  all  the  awful  brightness, 


THE   HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  EZEKIEL 


235 


and  proclaiming  to  His  people  that  He  was  their  cov- 
enant King. 

What  a  majestic  vision  of  the  glory  of  God,  of  the 
Son  of  Man,  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  whom  He 
works  out  His  mighty  plans,  and  whose  swiftness, 
strength,  omnipresence  and  omniscience  are  so  majesti- 
cally represented  in  the  consuming  fire,  the  gleaming 
lightning,  the  awful  whirlwind,  the  cherub  forms,  the 
manifold  wings,  the  living  wheels  full  of  eyes  around 
their  whole  circumference,  the  crystal  firmament,  the 
sapphire  throne,  the  Son  of  man ;  above  it  all,  the  rain- 
bow of  covenant  promise,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  working 
out  all  the  purposes  of  God's  infinite  love  and  grace! 

Such  was  the  vision  with  which  Ezekiel's  ministry 
began.  Such  was  the  mighty  One  whose  messenger  he 
was  called  to  be.  Soon  after,  the  personal  call  came, 
God  commanded  him  to  take  the  roll  containing  his 
message  and  eat  it ;  and,  as  he  did  so,  it  became  as  honey 
in  his  mouth  and  in  his  bowels.  Then  the  vision  re- 
turned once  more,  and  the  glory  again  appeared  before 
his  sight,  and  God  sent  him  forth  to  repeat  the  message, 
and  to  be  a  watchman  unto  His  people,  and  to  warn 
them  from  Him;  and  he  went  forth  to  his  lifework, 
armed  with  the  consciousness  of  that  glorious  presence, 
in  view  of  which  the  power  and  the  persecutions  of 
his  enemies  were  as  naught. 

To  us,  beloved,  may  not  come  the  majestic  vision 
which  Ezekiel  saw;  but  faith  can'  clothe  the  gentle 
Presence  that  whispers  to  our  hearts  with  all  the  majesty 
of  those  ancient  garments.  We  can  know  that  He  who 
speaks  to  us  so  gently  and  v;orks  so  patiently  in  our 
lives  is  the  same  majestic  Presence  that  filled  the  heav- 
ens with  His  glory,  whose  mighty  wheels  of  providence 
sweep  with  the  celerity  of  the  lightning  around  the  vast 
circumference  of  the  universe. 

The  vision  has  passed  away,  but  the  glory  still  remains. 
Though  that  glory  is  veiled  today,  yet  it  is  none  the 


ifs^ 


236 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


less  real;    and  some  day  we  shall  behold  it,  too,  as 
Ezekiel  saw  it  of  old  by  the  river  Chebar. 


n. 

THE  DEPARTING  VISION. 

This  glorious  vision  which  Ezekiel  saw  was  yet  in 
the  midst  of  Israel.  It  was  the  Presence  which  had  led 
them  through  all  their  history.  It  was  the  same  God 
who  had  marched  before  them  and  hovered  above  them 
in  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  flame,  dividing  the  Red  Sea 
and  the  Jordan,  conquering  the  Canaanites,  establishing 
the  throne  of  David,  exalting  Solomon  to  all  his  glory, 
and  manifesting  Himself  in  the  miracles  of  Elijah  and 
Elisha,  and  in  the  wonders  of  divine  love  and  power 
through  all  the  centuries  of  Israel's  history.  Now, 
however,  the  incorrigible  sins  of  the  nation  had  worn 
out  His  patience  and  almost  grieved  Him  away. 

That  glorious  Presence  was  about  to  leave  the  tempk*. 
that  He  had  loved.  Judah  was  ready  to  fall,  desolate 
and  forsaken,  into  the  hands  of  her  cruel  fOe. 

There  is  nothing  more  tender  and  sublime  than  the 
vision  of  this  departing  glory.  Like  a  mother  bird,  it 
seems  to  hover,  unwilling  to  depart,  lingering  with  flut- 
tering wing  above  the  cherubim  and  above  the  threshold 
of  the  house,  and  last  upon  the  brow  of  Olivet,  before 
it  can  bear  to  take  its  long,  sad  flight,  and  leave  their 
house  unto  them  desolate. 

In  the  third  verse  of  the  ninth  chapter,  we  see  it 
beginning  to  depart,  "The  glory  of  the  God  of  Israel 
was  gone  up  from  the  chenib,  whereupon  he  was.  to  the 
threshold  of  the  house."  Again,  in  the  fourth  vorse 
of  the  tenth  chapter  it  would  seem  that  He  had  gone 
back  and  once  more  poised  His  wings  and  attempted  the 
same  flight.  "The  glory  of  the  Lord  went  up  from  the 
cherub,  and  stood  over  the  threshold  of  the  house ;  and 
the  house  was  filled  with  the  cloud,  and  the  court  was 


r 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  EZEKIEL 


237 


was 


full  of  the  brightness  of  the  Lord's  glory.  And  the 
sound  of  the  cherubim's  wings  was  heard,  as  the  voice 
of  the  Almighty  God  when  He  speaketh." 

Then  again,  in  the  eighteenth  verse  of  the  tenth  chap- 
ter we  see  His  flight  begun.  "Then  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  departed  from  off  the  threshold  of  the  house,  and 
sood  over  the  cherubims,  and  the  cherubims  lifted  up 
their  wings,  and  mounted  up  from  the  earth  in  my  sight ; 
when  they  went  out,  the  wheels  also  were  beside  them ;  and 
every  one  stood  at  the  door  of  the  east  gate  of  the  Lord 's 
hou>se. ' ' 

But  not  yet  did  the  vision  take  its  final  flight,  for, 
in  the  twenty-second  verse  of  the  eleventh  chapter,  we 
see  the  glory  lingering  yet  on  Mount  Olivet.  ''Then 
did  the  cherubims  lift  up  their  wings,  and  the  wheels 
beside  them;  and  the  glory  of  the  God  of  Israel  was 
over  them  above.  And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  went  up 
from  the  midst  of  the  city,  and  stood  upon  the  moun- 
tian  which  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  city." 

Still  God's  patience  waited  and  pleaded,  and  His 
judgment  sought  to  awaken  and  change  their  stubborn 
hearts  of  sin;  but  all  in  vain.  At  length  we  hear  the 
mournful  conclusion,  "Son  of  man,  say  unto  her.  Thou 
art  the  land  that  is  not  cleansed,  nor  rained  upon  in 
the  day  of  indignation.  .  .  .  Her  priests  have  violated 

my   law,   and   profaned  mine  holy   things Her 

princes  in  the  midst  thereof  are  like  wolves  ravening 
the  prey,  to  shed  blood,  and  to  destroy  souls,  and  to  get 
dishonest  gain.  And  her  prophets  have  daubed  them 
with  untempered  mortar,  seeing  vanity,  and  divining 
lies  unto  them,  saying,  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  when  the 
Lord  hath  not  spoken.  The  people  of  the  land  have 
used  oppression,  and  exercised  robbery,  and  have  vexed 
the  poor  and  needy.  .  .  .  And  I  sought  for  a  man  among 
them,  that  should  make  up  the  hedge,  and  stand  in  the 
gap  before  me  for  the  land,  that  I  should  not  destroy 
it;    but  T  found  none.    Therefore,  have  T  poured  out 


238 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


I    if 


mine  indignation  upon  them;  I  have  consumed  them 
with  the  fire  of  my  wrath :  their  own  way  have  I  recom- 
pensed upon  their  heads." 

It  was  like  that  later  vision,  when  the  same  Son  of 
man  stood  upon  the  same  Olivet,  looking  down  upon  the 
city  that  had  refused  His  warnings  and  miracle  of  love, 
and  said:  **How  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy 
children  together,  as  a  hen  doth  gather  her  brood  under 
her  wings,  and  ye  would  not.  Behold,  your  house  is 
left  unto  you  desolate:  ...  ye  shall  not  see  me,  until 
the  time  cometh  when  ye  shall  say.  Blessed  is  He  that 
Cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

So  the  Spirit  left  them,  and  the  next  chapter  begins 
the  vision  of  judgment  and  destruction.  Beloved,  the 
same  story  has  often  been  re-enacted.  It  w^as  re-enacted 
when  Jesus  left  the  temple.  The  Roman  legions  fol- 
lowed,, and  Jerusalem  fell  again.  It  was  re-enacted 
when  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Apostles  became  corrupt 
and  sank  to  mediaeval  darkness  because  the  Holy  Spirit 
was  grieved  away. 

The  same  calamity  is  threatening  the  Church  again. 
The  blessed  Spirit  is  being  grieved  from  her  sanctuary 
and  from  her  altars  by  compromises  with  worldliness 
and  sin,  and  He  is  seeking  a  home  in  humble  hearts 
and  lowly  missions  and  little  companies  of  those  who 
will  obey  Him  and  fully  trust  Him.  It  may  be  enacted 
in  your  life ;  for  you,  too,  can  vex  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
grieve  Him  away.  The  temple  of  your  heart  may  be 
left  desolate  and  forsaken,  and  your  life  become  ex- 
posed to  the  judgments  of  God  and  the  calamities  of 
sorrow. 

Many  a  sad  life  and  many  a  sad  death  is  but  the 
story  of  Israel  repeated  once  more.  Oh,  let  us  not 
grieve  Him !  Oh,  let  us  not  permit  Him  to  pass  away ! 
Oh,  let  us  cherish  Him,  honor  Him,  obey  Him,  make 
our  heart  His  home,  and  Him  our  Holy  Guest! 


THE   HOLY   SPIRIT   IN   EZEKIEL 


239 


ex- 
1  of 


in. 

THE    PROMISE    OF    THE    SPIRIT 's    RETURN. 

"Then  will  I  sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you,  and 
ye  shall  be  clean ;  from  all  your  filthiness  and  all  your 
idols  will  I  cleanse  you.  A  new  heart  also  will  I  give 
you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put  within  you;  and 
I  will  take  away  the  stony  heart  out  of  your  flesh, 
and  I  will  give  you  an  heart  of  flesh.  And  I  will  put 
my  spirit  within  you,  and  cause  you  to  walk  in  my 
statutes,  and  ye  shall  keep  my  judgments,  and  do 
them.  And  ye  shall  dwell  in  the  land  that  I  gave  to 
your  fathers;  and  ye  shall  bo  my  people,  and  I  will 
be  your  God.  I  also  will  save  you  from  all  your  un- 
cleannesses;  and  I  will  call  for  the  corn,  and  will  in- 
crease it,  and  lay  no  famine  upon  you.  And  I  will 
multiply  the  fruit  of  the  tree,  and  the  increase  of  the 
field,  that  ye  shall  receive  no  more  reproach  of  famine 
among  the  heathen.  Then  shall  ye  remember  your  own 
evil  ways,  and  your  doings  that  were  not  good,  and 
shall  loathe  yourselves  in.  your  owti  sight,  for  your 
iniquities,  and  for  your  abominations.  Not  for  your 
sakes  do  I  this,  saith  the  Lord  God,  be  it  known  unto 
you:    be  ashamed  and  confounded  for  your  own  ways, 

0  house  of  Israel.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  In  the  day 
that  I  shall  have  cleansed  you  from  all  your  iniquities, 

1  will  also  cause  you  to  dwell  in  the  cities,  and  the 
wastes  shall  be  builded.  And  the  desolate  land  shall  be 
tilled,  whereas  it  lay  desolate  in  the  sight  of  all  that 
passed  by.  And  they  shall  say,  This  land  that  was 
desolate  is  become  like  the  Garden  of  Eden;  and  the 
waste  and  desolate  and  ruined  cities  are  become  fenced, 
and  are  inhabited.  Then  the  heathen,  that  are  left 
round  about  you,  shall  know  that  I  the  Lord  build  the 
ruined  places,  and  plant  that  that  was  desolate:  I  the 
Lord  have  spoken  it,  and  I  will  do  it"  (Ezk.  36:25- 
36). 


240 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


Of  course  this  promise  has  a  primary  reference  to 
Israel  as  a  nation,  and  will  yet  be  graciously  fulfilled 
in  their  restoration  from  the  captivity  of  ages  and  in 
the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the  nation; 
but  it  has  also  a  distinct  reference  to  the  New  T<^stam('nt 
times,  and  shines  with  the  light  of  the  Gospel  of  full 
and  free  salvation  through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

There  are  three  v<3ry  distinct  stages  in  the  promised 
blessing.  The  first  includes  forgiveness  and  conver- 
sion ;  that  is  the  sprinkling  of  the  clean  water  upon 
them,  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins,  and  the  taking  away 
of  the  hard  and  stony  heart,  and  the  giving  of  the 
heart  of  flesh,  the  work  of  justification  and  regeneration. 

There  is  no  need  to  say  more  respecting  these  earlier 
verses.  The  teaching  is  as  simple  and  clear  as  the 
third  chapter  of  the  Gospel  of  John  or  the  epistles  of 
St.  Paul.  But  there  is  a  second  stage  of  blessing  which 
is  distinct  and  important.  It  is  the  indwelling  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  and  the  incoming  of  His  cleansing  and 
sanctifying  power  in  the  heart  of  the  believer. 

''I  will  put  my  Spirit  within  you.  and  cause  you  to 
walk  in  my  statutes,  and  ye  shall  keep  my  judgments, 
and  do  them.'*  This  is  something  different  from  the 
new  spirit  and  the  new  heart.  It  is  God  Himself  com- 
ing to  dwell  in  the  new  spirit  by  His  Holy  Spirit,  and 
bringing  a  constraining  and  efficient  power  that  causes 
the  soul  to  walk  in  holiness  and  enables  him  to  keej) 
His  commandments. 

Could  we  ])ut  on  canvas  the  picture  it  would  be  some- 
thing like  this ;  first,  we  would  paint  the  natural  heart 
black  and  sinful ;  then,  second,  in  the  centre  of  this 
black  heart  we  would  place  a  little  white  heart,  denoting 
the  regenerated  spirit,  the  new  heart  that  comes  at 
conversion,  but  which  is  still  in  the  midst  of  darkness 
and  sin,  and  has  to  maintain  a  painful  and  often  un- 
equal struggle  with  the  surrounding  and  encompassing 
evil. 


THE   HOLY  SPIRIT   IN  EZEKIEL 


241 


s 


In  the  third  place,  we  would  paint  a  ray  of  heavenly 
light,  or  a  living  coal  of  celestial  lire,  which  we  would 
put  in  the  centre  of  this  new  heart;  and  from  it  the 
effulgent  rays  of  life  and  light  would  reach  out  into 
all  the  darkness  round  about,  filling  the  new  heart  and 
the  old,  until  the  darkness  and  sin  are  (crowded  out, 
and  God  Himself  possesses  the  whole  being,  enabled 
it  to  think  and  feel,  to  trust  and  love,  to  obey  and 
persevere,  even  as  Christ  Himself  would  walk. 

This  is  the  Spirit  that  sanctifies;  this  is  the  cleans- 
ing power  that  our  poor  w(^ak  lieart  needs.  This 
is  the  efficient  strength  which  the  Holy  Ghost  wants 
to  give  to  every  heart  that  will  surrender  fully  to  His 
power  and  receive  Him  in  His  all-sufficiency.  Beloved, 
have  we  done  so?  Have  we  received  not  only  the  new 
Spirit  but  the  divine  Spirit,  nnd  learned  to  know  the 
mystery  which  is  *' Christ  in  you,  the  hope  of  glory"? 

There  is  still  another  stage  in  the  promised  blessing 
to  be  found  in  the  outworking  of  this  indwelling  Spirit 
and  the  influence  of  the  sanctified  and  victorious  life 
upon  our  circumstances  and  external  life.  **Ye  shall 
dwell  in  the  land  that  I  gave  to  your  fathers."  We 
become  established,  and  get  settled  in  (lod's  will  and 
blessing.  "I  will  call  for  the  corn,  and  will  increase 
it  and  lay  no  famine  upon  you."  We  become  nourished, 
joyful,  happy  Christians,  and  every  one  beholds  in  us 
the  satisfied  and  benignant  rest  and  glory  of  a  victori- 
ous life. 

"I  will  multiply  the  fruit  of  the  tree  and  the  in- 
crease of  the  field."  Our  work  is  blessed,  our  fruit 
is  abundant,  and  our  blessing  extends  even  to  **the 
heathen."  This  is  contemporaneous  with  our  spiritual 
blessing.  *'In  the  day  that  I  shall  have  cleansed  you 
from  all  your  iniquities,  I  will  also  cause  yf»u  to  dwell 
in  the  cities,  and  the  wastes  shall  be  builded."  The 
barren  wastes  of  life  shall  blossom  as  the  rose.  The 
things  that   have   been   sad   and   fruitless  will   become 


242 


POWER   FROM  ON   HIGH 


1   i 


h  1 


blessed  and  beautiful.  The  years  that  have  been  lost 
will  be  restored,  and  all  wa  do  shall  prosper. 

Nay,  He  says,  "The  dosolate  land  shall  be  tilled,  .  .  . 
and  they  shall  say,  This  land  that  was  desolate  is  be- 
come like  the  Garden  of  Eden;  and  the  waste  and 
desolate  and  ruined  cities  are  become  fenced  and  are 
inhabited.  Then  the  heathen  that  are  left  round  about" 
it  shall  know  that  God  has  done  it. 

Of  course,  this  is  yet  to  be  fulfilled  to  Israel  as  a 
people.  Already  we  begin  to  see  the  foretokening  of 
that  Millennial  spring  that  is  opening  for  the  long 
down-trodden  land  and  people.  Bnt  it  has  a  beautiful 
meaning  to  each  individual  Christian  life.  For  God 
is  "able  to  do  for  us  exceeding  abundantly  above  all 
that  we  ask  or  think,  according  to  the  power  that 
worketh  in  us." 

The  soul  that  receives  the  Holy  Spirit  in  all  His 
fullness  will  find  the  providence  of  God  keeping  pace 
with  His  inward  blessing,  and  the  grace  that  we  have 
experienced  in  our  heart  will  reflect  itself  in  all  our 
outward  life.  The  King  that  reigns  supreme  upon  the 
throne  of  the  heart  will  sway  His  sceptre  around  the 
whole  circle  of  our  life,  and  bring  into  subjection  every- 
thing that  hurts  or  hinders  us. 

He  will  heal  our  bodies ;  He  will  answer  our  prayers ; 
He  will  bless  our  homes;  He  will  prosper  our  business; 
He  will  remove  our  difficulties;  He  will  open  our  way; 
He  will  "cause  the  desert  to  rejoice  and  blossom  as 
the  rose,"  and  "instead  of  the  thorn  shall  come  up 
the  fir  tree,  and  instead  of  the  brier,  shall  come  up 
the  myrtle  tree:  and  it  shall  be  to  the  Lord  for  a 
name,  for  an  everlasting  sign  that  shall  not  be  cut  off." 

The  blessings  of  God's  providence  are  inseparably 
connected  with  the  indwelling  of  His  Spirit  and  the 
experience  of  His  sanctifying  grace.  It  is  only  to  those 
**who  love  God  and  are  the  called  according  to  His 
purpose"  that  "all  things  work  together  for  good. 


»> 


THE    HOLY   SPIRIT   IN   EZEKIEL 


24n 


They  know  that  they  work  together  for  good.  It  is 
not  a  struggle  to  bt3lieve  it.  It  is  not  a  desperate  effort, 
to  count  it.  When  we  walk  with  Tlim  in  holy  trust 
and  obedience,  th(?  inmost  consciousness  of  our  spiritual 
being  bears  witness  to  the  promise,  and  we  know  without 
doubt  or  fear  that  all  things  are  ours,  for  we  are  Christ's 
and  Christ  is  God's. 


t 


WF 


ClIAPTKH  XXI. 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  KKSURKl!:CTION. 

Ezekiel   37 :  8. 

"For  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Clirist  Josus  hath  made 
me  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death." — Horn.  8:  L'. 

"But  if  the  Spirit  of  him  that  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead 
dwell  in  you,  he  that  hath  raised  up  Christ  from  the  dead  shall 
also  quicken  your  mortal  bodies  by  his  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in 
you." — Rom.  8:  11. 

THE  thirty-seventh  chapter  of  Ezekiel  is  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  exhibitions  of  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  the  Old  Testment,  because  it  in- 
troduces with  great  clearness  and  definiteness  the  doc- 
trine of  the  ret-'       action. 

This  truth,  I  .  ^d  all  others,  is  characteristic  of  the 
system  of  redemption.  It  might  be  called  the  patent 
sign  of  the  Gospel.  Far  more  than  the  Cross,  the  sym- 
bol of  baptism  expresses  the  fimdamental  idea  of  the 
Christian  religion;  for,  while  the  Cross  speaks  only 
of  death,  baptism  tells  also  of  resurrection  and  life. 

This  truth,  foreshadowed  in  many  Old  Testnmcnt  pas- 
sages, and  doubtless  underlying  the  teaching  of  ull  the 
prophets,  is  brought  out  here  with  great  distinctness. 
and  makes  the  passage  one  of  the  marked  ones  of  Old 
Testament  revelation. 


THE  VALLEY   OF  DRY  BONIS. 

First,  we  have  the  vision  in  the  valley  of  dry  bones. 
This  is  not  a  vision  of  the  resurrection  proper,  but 
rather  of  a  special  resurrection.  The  prophet  is  taken 
in  the  spirit  into  the  valley  of  dry  bones.  It  is  the 
scene  of  some  ancient  battle,  where  he  beholds  around 

244 


THE  aPTTUT  OF  THE   RESURRECTION 


24.T 


him  the  skeletons  of  the  rallen  army,  and.  l<>!  iIh'v  are 
very  many,  an<i,  lo!    tliey  are  very  dry. 

A  generation  has  passed  sinee  th«\v  IVll.  The  Uesh 
ha«  loug  ago  withered  from  the  vskeletims,  and  the  bones 
lie  bleached  and  withered  under  the  open  nun.  Sud- 
denly the  question  comes  to  him,  "Can  these  bones 
live?"  And  his  wise  answer  is  "Lord  Thou  knowest." 
Then  there  comes  o  him ;  first,  the  command  to  prophesy 
unto  the  bones,  proclaiming  to  them  the  Word  of  the 
Lord,  and  announcing  to  them  that  they  shall  live. 
And,  lo!  there  comes  a  noise  and  a  shaking;  and  bone 
cleaves  to  his  bone,  and  they  assume  the  forms  of  men ; 
but  still  there  is  no  breath  in  them. 

Then  a  second  time  the  Word  of  the  Lord  comes  to 
him,  commanding  him  to  prophesy  unto  the  breath  of 
life  to  come  from  the  four  winds  and  breathe  upon 
these  slain  that  they  may  live;  and,  lo!  as  he  prophesies 
and  commands,  the  spirit  of  life  to  come  into  these  life- 
less forms,  there  is  a  quivering  moment,  as  the  life 
passes  into  every  frame,  and  they  spring  to  their  feet 
and  stand  before  him  a  mass  of  living  men,  an  ex- 
ceeding great  army. 

n. 

THE   APPLICATION   OF  THIS  TO   ISRAEL  AS   A   NATION 

God  does  not  leave  the  prophet  in  doubt  as  to  the  mean- 
ing of  the  vision.  Its  first  and  immediate  application  is 
to  his  people.  They  were  mourning  over  their  national 
ruin  and  saying,  "Our  bones  are  dried,  and  our  hope 
is  lost;  we  are  cut  off  for  our  parts."  But  he  tells 
them  that  the  voice  of  God  is  yet  to  come  to  them; 
that  the  power  of  His  Spirit  is  yet  to  breathe  upon 
them;  that  even  shattered  and  hopeless  Israel  shall 
revive;  and  that  the  nation  shall  spring  to  life  once 
more  and  return  to  their  own  land  to  resume  their 
place  in  God's  great  plan,  while  their  divisions  and 
disunions  shall  cease  forever,  and  God  shall  dwell  among 


246 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


them  and  restore  His  ancient  sanctuary  and  renew  His 
covenant  with  them  forevermore. 

There  could  scarcely  be  a  more  appropriate  figure 
of  Israel's  depressed  condition  than  the  vision  of  the 
dry  bones.  For  eighteen  centuries  their  hope  has  been 
dead  in  a  far  more  terrible  sense  than  was  true  even 
under  the  Babylonian  captivity.  It  is  not  a  century 
ago  since  the  children  of  Israel  were  disfranchised  out- 
casts of  every  nation.  Even  in  Great  Britain  itself  the 
voice  of  the  pulpit  and  of  the  whole  Christian  press  was 
raised  against  the  first  proposal  to  give  the  right  of 
franchise  to  Hebrew  citizens  and  to  allow  the  children 
of  Abraham  a  place  and  a  name  among  the  Gentiles. 

For  centuries  they  have  been  truly  "outcasts  of  earth 
and  reprobates  of  heaven,"  and  the  idea  of  their  reotora- 
tion  to  their  own  land,  and  to  their  ancient  blessing, 
mig-ht  well  be  deemed  the  most  hopeless  prospect  that 
language  could  express.  But,  lo!  already  the  vision  of 
the  prophet  begins  to  be  fulfilled.  The  Word  of  God 
respecting  Israel  has  been  recovered  and  reissued.  God 's 
people  have  begun  to  understand  His  purpose  conce  /ning 
Israel  and  have  begun  to  preach  the  Gospel,  even  to  the 
unbelieving  sons  of  Abraham,  and  to  proclaim  to  them, 
like  the  ancient  prophet,  the  word  of  hope  and  promise, 
and  to  call  them  from  their  graves  to  their  true 
Messiah  and  their  only  hope.  And,  lo !  already  there  is 
a  noise  and  a  shaking;  and  bone  is  beginning  to  come 
to  his  bone,  and  a  national  revival  of  Judaism  is  one  of 
the  most  marked  signs  of  the  day. 

A  spirit  of  reunion  and  reorganization  is  everywhere 
abroad  among  them.  National  societies  are  being  formed. 
The  rich  and  the  poor  are  coming  together.  Great 
leaders  of  the  nation  are  lending  their  financial  strength 
to  the  cause  of  the  helpless  and  the  outcast.  While  as 
yet  it  is  not  a  spiritual  movement,  but  merely  a  reorgani- 
zation of  national  life  and  hope,  it  is  just  what  the 
prophet  predicted  would  5f st  come  to  pass ;  iJid  he  must 


I 


THE  SPIKIT  OF  THE  RESURRECTION 


247 


be  blind  iuO'^ed,  who  does  not  see  the  ancient  vision 
being  fulfilled  today  among  the  children  of  Israel  in 
every  nation  under  heaven. 

But  there  is  a  deeper  spiritual  movement.  The  Holy 
Ghost  is  also  beginning  His  saving  work.  The  deeper 
heart  of  the  nation  is  beginning  to  be  touched;  and 
some  of  her  sons  are  recognizing  their  long  rejected 
Messiah,  and  beginning  to  accept  Him  as  their  Saviour 
and  their  King. 

These  are  but  precursors  of  that  latter  rain  which  is 
to  fall,  when  the  Spirit  of  grace  and  of  supplication 
shall  be  poured  out  upon  the  house  of  David  and  the 
inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  and  they  shall  look  upon  Him 
whom  they  pierced  and  shall  mourn  for  Him  as  one 
that  mourneth  for  an  only  son.  And  then  shall  a  foun- 
tian  be  opened  for  the  house  of  David  and  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Jerusalem,  for  sin  and  uncleanness,  and  all  the 
blessed  promises  for  Israel  shall  receive  their  spiritual 
fulfillment. 

Then  shall  Israel  and  Judah  be  united.  Then  shall 
the  severances  of  ages  be  forever  healed.  Then  shall 
they  be  cleansed  from  their  defilements  and  uncleanness 
and  idolatries,  to  sin  no  more.  Then  shall  they  take 
the  the  place  of  God 's  chosen  people ;  and,  as  the  Queen 
of  nations  and  the  special  witnesses  of  Jesus,  the  sons 
of  Abraham  shall  fulfill  their  high  calling,  and  their 
restoration  shall  be  complete. 

Then  shall  God'.a  sanctuary  be  amjong  them  once 
more.  Neither  shall  He  hide  His  face  from  them  any 
more,  but  they  shall  dwell  forever  in  His  covenant  ^^ve, 
the  Light  of  the  world,  and  the  Leader  of  the  nations. 


m. 

THE   APPLICATION    OF   THE   VISION   TO   THE   SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
OP  THE  SOUL  AND   THE   CHURCH. 

There  is  something  worse  than  the  death  of  a  nation, 
something  worse  than  the  death  of  the  body.    It  is  the 


248 


POWER  FROM  ON   HIGH 


spiritual  dcatli  of  tlio.so  who  lie  sunk  in  trespasses  and 
sins.  The  condition  of  human  souls  is  like  iho  bones  in 
the  valley  of  vision,  very  many  and  very  dry.  There 
is  no  human  probability  of  restoration  or  life.  But 
there  is  hope  in  God  and  in  resurrection  life. 

There  is  the  same  twofold  agency  which  we  see  in 
the  nation.  First  is  the  Word  of  God.  This  is  the 
divine  instrument  in  the  conversion  of  souls  and  the 
quickening  of  the  spiritually  dead.  **  Being  born  again 
not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  by  the 
Word  of  God,  which  livetb  and  abideth  forever." 

Although  souls  are  lost  and  dead,  God  commands  us 
to  proclaim  to  them  the  Word  of  God,  and  to  tell  them 
that  He  has  sent  them  life,  and  is  waiting  to  quicken 
them  and  bring  them  out  of  their  graves. 

This  very  word  which  they  are  unable  to  understand 
or  feel  or  believe  is  the  power  through  which  they  are 
to  be  awakened  and  brought  to  life.  There  is  a  strange 
potency  in  the  Gospel  to  awaken  the  human  conscience 
and  to  quicken  the  human  spirit  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

But  the  Word  of  God  alone  can  bring  about  only 
an  outward  reformation  like  the  baptism  of  John,  which 
changed  the  lives  of  men  and  the  forms  and  habits 
of  their  conversation;  but  it  cannot  put  breath  in 
them.  And  so  the  first  effect  is  the  abandonment  of 
sin,  the  reformation  of  life,  the  assuming  of  the  forms 
of  righteousness,  but  there  is  no  breath  in  them.  The 
great  agent  in  the  real  and  vital  transfiguration  is  the 
Spirit  of  the  Living  God,  **the  breath  of  life  from  the 
four  winds  of  heaven." 

There  is  something  very  significant  about  the  way  in 
which  the  prophet  was  commanded  to  address  the  Spirit. 
It  was  not  the  language  of  entreaty,  but  of  command. 
Just  as  he  was  commanded  to  prophesy  to  the  dry  bones 
and  to  bid  them  live,  so  he  is  commanded  to  prophesy 


I 


THE  SPIRIT  OP  THE  RESURRECTION 


249 


only 

which 

labits 

:h   in 

nt  of 

orms 

The, 

is  the 

m  the 


pirit. 
mand. 
bones 
phesy 


i 


unto  the  Holy  Ghost  and  to  bid  the  Spirit  come  and 
quicken  those  lifeless  stones. 

Is  there  not  for  us  the  significant  suggestion  and  a 
solemn  lesson  that  we  are  to  speak  the  Gospel  to  men 
in  the  authority  of  God,  and  with  the  expectation  of  its 
power,  and  that  we  are  to  claim  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
accompany  the  words  and  to  give  efficacy  to  our  testi- 
mony and  work  with  the  same  authority?  That  we 
are  not  only  to  ask  Him  and  invoke  Him,  but  to  com- 
mand Him  and  to  use  K  ;i,  and  fully  to  expect  His 
almighty  efficiency  to  acccivnlish  the  work  for  which 
He  sent  us? 

Just  as  the  laws  of  electricity,  when  properly  under- 
stood, place  at  our  command  the  forces  of  electricity, 
so,  when  we  yield  to  the  laws  of  the  Spirit's  operation, 
we  may  command  the  Spirit's  operation  and  fully  count 
upon  His  ahnighty  working  and  infinite  power.  Is  not 
this  the  real  meaning  of  faith  and  the  real  province  of 
prayer  in  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel?  Is  not  this  the 
secret  of  many  of  our  fni lures?  Do  we  command  Him 
as  we  migl""*  ?  Do  we  use  these  infinite  forces  whicli  God 
has  placed  at  our  service  for  the  accomplishment  of  the 
work  for  which  H(   has  sent  us? 

The  effect  of  the;  Holy  Spirit's  work  is  not  a  mere 
reformation,  but  a  transformaTJon.  The  forms  of  life 
are  quickened  into  real  life,  and  tl  men  spring  to  their 
feet  and  stand  before  him,  "an  exceeding  great  army.'* 
They  do  not  now  need  to  i»(»  carried.  They  are  them- 
selves self-supporting;  nay.  thev  become  an  army  of 
mighty  power,  and  go  forth  "  aggressive  conflict  to 
fight  against  the  enemies  of  (  a  and  to  impart  to  others 
the  blessing  which  they  themselves  have  received. 

This  mighty  Holy  Spirit  is  recognized  as  present  in 
the  world.  The  four  winds  indicate  the  four  quarters 
of  the  earth,  and  they  suggest  the  omnipresence  and 
the  ever-presence  of  that  blessed  Spirit  who  is  with  the 


ii< 


250 


POWER  FROM  ON  HIGH 


Church,  through  the  Christian  dispensation,  as  the  en- 
(lueraent  of  power  for  every  commission  on  which  the 
iMaster  has  sent  lier.  Shall  we  claim  our  high  and 
divine  resources?  Shall  we  utilize  the  intinile  and  all- 
sufficient  supplies  "hich  our  Master  has  committed  to 
us?  And  shall  we,  with  a  simpler,  bolder  confidence, 
give  forth  the  authoritative  Worr',  and  call  down  the 
Almighty  Spirit  to  quicken  the  dry  bones  of  a  lifeless 
Church  and  to  awaken  the  spiritually  dead,  that  Christ 
may  give  them  life? 

IV. 

THE  FUTURE  RESURRECTION. 

While  this  passage  is  not  a  literal  vision  of  the  re- 
surrection from  the  dead,  at  the  same  time  it  assumes 
it  and  takes  it  for  granted.  That  glorious  doctrine 
is  more  fully  unfolded  and  differentiated  in  the  teachv 
ings  of  the  New  Testament.  We  see  it  first  in  its  great 
pledge  and  first  fruit,  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  We  see  it  next  in  the  resurrection  of  His  peo- 
ple at  His  coming,  and  we  see  the  vision  of  it  in  its 
final  and  glorious  age  at  the  consummation  of  all  faith. 

In  every  instance  it  will  be,  in  some  measure,  at 
least,  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  who  is  working 
out  the  spiritual  resurrection  now,  will  accomplish  it 
at  the  glorious  appearing  of  our  Lord,  and  will  change 
the  body  of  our  humiliation,  that  it  may  be  fashioned 
like  unto  the  body  of  His  glory,  according  to  the  work- 
ing whereby  He  is  able  to  subdue  all  things  unto  Him- 
self. 

We  shaU  not  dwell  on  this  glorious  doctrine  now. 
It  will  be  much  more  fully  unfolded  in  later  Scriptures. 
It  is  cur  b'  ^ssed  hope,  and  already  we  have  its  divine 
pattern  and  pledge  in  the  first  begotten  from  the  dead, 
the  glorious  Prince  of  Life,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


THE  8P11UT  OF  THE  KESUKllECTlOxN 


251 


the  en- 

ich  the 
;h  and 
ud  all- 
ttcd  to 
fidence, 
wu  the 
lifeh^ss 
;  Christ 


the  re- 
assumes 
doctrine 
e  teachv 
ts  great 
rd  Jesus 
[lis  peo- 
t  in  its 
11  faith. 

sure,  at 
working 
plish  it 
change 
ishioned 
le  work- 
to  Him- 

le  now. 
'iptures. 
s  divine 

e  dead, 

rist. 


V. 


THE    APPLICATION    OP    THE    VISION    TO    THE    WHOLE    REALM 
OP    FAITH    AND    SPIRITUAL    POWER. 

There  is  a  greater  truth  presented  than  even  the  literal 
resurrection.  The  thought  lying  back  of  the  prophet's 
vision,  and  the  profound  truth  which  it  throws  forward 
upon  the  prospective  of  faith  is  that  the  resurrection  is 
the  pattern  and  the  guarantee  of  all  that  God  is  able 
and  willing  to  do  in  response  to  the  faith  of  His  peo- 
ple. 

Expressed  in  a  single  sentence,  the  thought  is  that 
we  have  a  resurrection  God,  and  we  ought  to  have  a 
resurrection  faith.  Is  not  this  the  sublime  thought  which 
the  Apostle  Paul  has  presented  in  the  magnificent  climax 
of  the  first  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians, 
where  he  prays  that  the  **eyes  of  your  imderstanding 
being  enlighten;  that  ye  may  know  what  is  the  hope 
of  his  calling  and  what  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  His 
inheritance  in  the  saints,  and  what  is  the  exceeding 
greatness  of  his  power  to  usward  who  believe!" 

Now  comes  the  measure  and  standard  of  that  power, 
**  According  to  the  working  of  his  mighty  power,  which 
he  wrought  in  Christ,  when  he  raised  him  from  the 
dead,  and  set  him  at  his  own  right  hand  in  the  heav- 
enly places,  far  above  all  principality,  and  y^ower,  and 
might,  and  dominion,  and  every  name  that  is  named, 
not  only  in  this  world,  but  also  in  that  which  is  to 
come."  Henceforth,  the  standard  of  faith  and  the 
measure  of  God's  working  for  His  people  is  the  resur- 
rection of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

When  any  trj^ng  situation  presents  itself,  when  any 
hard  question  is  asked,  and  unbelief  seems  to  say,  "Can 
these  bones  live?"  we  have  the  simple  answer,  "It  is 
Christ  that  died,  yea  rather,  that  is  risen  again,  who 
is  even  at  the  right  hand  of  God.' 


>> 


252 


POWER   FROM    ON    HIGH 


There  are  things  that  are  darker  than  the  grave  and 
sadder  than  death.  There  are  spiritual  situations ;  there 
are  family  troubles;  there  are  business  difficulties; 
there  are  catastrophes  and  calamities;  there  are  needs 
and  trials  compared  with  which  the  tears  of  bereave- 
ment are  sweet,  and  the  darkness  of  the  sepulchre  is 
bright  indeed.  But,  thank  God,  we  can  meet  these 
difficulties,  these  trials,  these  situations,  these  seeming 
impossibilities,  and  say,  "Our  trust  is  not  in  ourselves, 
but  in  God,  who  raiseth  the  dead.  Who  delivered  us 
from  so  great  a  death,  who  doth  deliver,  in  whom  we 
trust  that  He  will  yet  deliver  us. "  This  is  our  hope  for  the 
hour  of  fierce  temptation,  for  the  time  of  sorrow  and  trial, 
for  the  contiict  with  sickness  and  pain,  for  the  desperate 
campaign  with  the  powers  of  the  darkness  as  we  go  forth 
to  save  men  and  evangelize  the  world  and  bring  the 
coming  of  our  Lord. 

All  these  are  situations  too  hard  for  us ;  but,  thank 
God,  we  can  meet  them  every  one  with  the  God  of  the 
resurrection,  with  the  hope  of  the  resurrection,  with 
the  faith  of  the  resurrection,  with  the  life  of  the  resur- 
rection, with  the  pledge  of  the  resurrection,  and  say, 
* '  Yes,  it  is  all  true.  With  men  it  is  impossible — but 
God — who  raiseth  the  dead." 

Break   from   your  fears,   ye   saints,   and  tell 
How  high  your  great  Deliverer  reigns; 

Sing  how   Ho  spoiled  the  hosts  of  hell, 
And   led  the   monster   Death  in   chains. 


Say,   "Live   forever,   Wondrous  King, 
Born   to  redeem  and  strong  to  save ; ' ' 

Then  ask  the  Monster,  "Where's  thy  sting, 
And  Where's  thy  victory,  boasting  gravel" 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
THE  RIVER  OF  BLESSING. 


"Afterward  lie  brought  me  again  unto  the  door  of  the  house; 
and,  behold,  waters  issued  out  from  under  the  threshold  of  the 
house  ea.stward :  for  the  forefront  of  the  house  stood  toward 
the  cast,  and  the  waters  came  down  from  under,  from  tlie  right 
side  of  the  house,  at  the  south  side  of  the  altar. 

"Then  brouglit  he  me  out  of  the  way  of  the  gate  northward, 
and  led  me  about  the  way  without  unto  the  outer  gate  by  the 
way  that  looketh  eastward;  and,  behold,  there  ran  out  the 
waters  on  the  right  side. 

"And  when  the  man  that  had  the  line  in  his  hand  went  forth 
eastward,  he  measured  a  thousand  cubits,  aud  He  brought  me 
through  the  waters;    the  waters  were  to  the  ankles. 

• '  Again  he  measured  a  thousand,  and  brought  me  through 
the  waters;  tho  waters  were  to  the  knees.  Again  he  measured 
a  thousand,  and  brought  me  through;  the  Avaters  were  to  the 
loins. 

"Afterward  he  measured  a  thousand;  and  it  was  a  river  that 
I  could  not  pass  over:  for  the  waters  were  risen,  waters  to  swim 
in,  a  river  that  could  not  be  passed  over. 

"And  he  said  unto  me,  Son  of  man,  hast  thou  seen  this? 
Then  he  brought  me,  and  caused  me  to  return  to  the  brink  of  the 
river. 

"Now  when  I  had  returned,  behold,  at  the  bank  of  the  river 
"were  very  many  trees  on  the  one  side  and  on  the  other. 

"Then  said  he  unto  me.  These  waters  issue  out  toward  the 
east  con.try,  and  go  down  into  the  desert,  and  go  into  the  sea: 
whicii  being  brought  forth  into  the  sea,  the  waters  shall  be 
healed. 

"And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  every  thing  that  liveth, 
A\hich  moveth,  whithersoever  the  rivers  shall  come,  shall  live: 
and  there  shall  be  a  very  great  multitude  of  fish,  because  Iheac 
waters  shall  come  thither:  for  they  shall  be  healed;  and  every 
thing   shall  live   whither  the  river  cometh. 

"And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the  fishers  shall  stand  upon 
it  from  En-gedi  even  unto  En-eglaim:  they  shall  be  a  place  to 
spread  forth  nets;  their  fish  shall  be  according  to  their  kinds  as 
the  fish  of  the  great  sea,  exceeding  many. 

"But  the  miry  places  thereof  and  the  marshes  thereof  shall 
not  be  healed  ;    they  shall  be  given  to  salt. 

253 


254 


POWElt    FKOiVr   ON    UIGII 


'*And  by  the  river  upon  the  bank  thereof,  on  this  side  and  on 
that  side,  shall  grow  all  trees  for  meat,  whose  leaf  shall  not  fade, 
neither  shall  the  fruit  thereof  be  consumed:  it  shall  bring  forth 
new  fruit  according  to  his  months,  because  their  waters  they 
issued  out  of  the  sanctuary;  and  the  fruit  thereof  shall  be  for 
meat,  and  the  leaf  thereof  for  medicine." — Ezekiel  47:  1-12. 

THIS  magnificent  prophetic  vision  is  doubtless  a 
picture  of  the  literal  restoration  of  Israel's  temple 
and  Israel's  race  in  the  future  days  of  millennial 
promise.  Conceding  this,  it  is  quite  legitimate  for  us 
to  apply  it  also  to  the  present  working  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  the  hearts  of  His  people,  and  in  the  midst 
of  His  Church,  which  is  the  temple  of  the  living  God. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  has  Himself  identified  the  living 
water  in  His  beautiful  words  in  the  seventh  chapcer 
of  the  Gospel  of  John.  There,  amid  the  sacred  solemni- 
ties of  that  ancient  temple  and  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles, 
He  applied  to  Himself  the  beautiful  figure  of  the  water 
that  was  being  poured  out  before  their  eyes,  and  cried 
and  said,  **If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me, 
and  drink.  He  that  believeth  on  me,  as  the  Scripture 
hath  said,  out  of  His  inmost  being  shall  flow  rivers  of 
living  water.  (But  this  spake  he  of  the  Spirit,  which 
they  that  believe  on  Him  should  receive:  for  the  Holy 
Ghost  was  not  yet  given,  because  Jesus  was  not  yet 
glorified)." 

This  is  an  exact  paraphravse  of  the  meaning  of  the 
vision  of  Ezekiel.  It  represents  the  Holy  Spirit  as  a 
river  of  water  flowing  from  the  inmost  being  of  a  conse- 
crted  heart,  and  becoming  rivers  of  blessing  to  others. 

There  is  something  about  the  entire  imagery  of  this 
picture  so  oriental,  so  sublime,  so  rich,  that,  like  a  beauti- 
ful flower,  we  cannot  analyze  it  too  much  without  de- 
stroying some  of  its  symmetry  and  sweetness.  It  s[)eak.s 
of  something  a.s  glorious  as  the  rich  symbolism  of  the 
picture. 

It  speaks  of  the  crystal  stream  and  the  deepening, 


il 


'  tho 


THE  RIVER  OF  BLESSING 


255 


;; 


broadening?  rivers  flowing  through  desert  lands,  and 
transform inj^  .hoin  into  gardens  of  luxuriant  beauty  and 
verdure.  It  speaks  of  perennial  fruits  and  leaves  of 
healing  and  even  the  Dead  Sea  itself  reclaimed  by  its 
healing  waters,  until  it  becomes  a  place  of  fishermen 
who  stand  upon  its  shores  from  end  to  end  gathering 
their  shoals  of  fishes.  Finally,  the  Temple  itself  becomes 
the  abode  of  God,  and  is  named  "Jehovah  Shammah,'* 
the  Lord  is  there. 

There  is  something  about  such  figures  that  cannot  be 
analyzed.  There  is  a  freedom,  a  glow,  a  vague  but  real 
splendor,  a  something  which  is  unutterable  and  full  of 
glory,  which  truly  describes  a  certain  elevated  phrase 
of  our  spiritual  experience.  There  are  things  in  our 
Christian  life  which,  if  you  translate  into  coarse  speech, 
become  like  the  petals  of  a  dissected  flower,  withered 
and  dead;  but  let  them  alone,  and  they  are  full  of  life 
and  joy.  You  cannot  translate  them,  you  cannot  always 
understand  them.  It  is  the  voice  of  the  Spirit  within 
you  crying  with  unutterable  groanings  or  unutterable 
joy.  It  is  as  full  as  the  magnificent  river,  as  pure  as 
the  crystal  water,  as  fresh  as  the  morning  dew,  as  healing 
as  the  leaves  of  the  tree  of  life,  and  as  full  of  power 
and  blessing  as  that  river  that  made  everything  live 
where  it  came. 

Our  hymnology   is  not   exaggerated  when  we  sing: 

"I  am  dwelling  on  the  mountain, 

Where  the  golden  sunlight  gleams, 
O'er  a  land  whose  fadeless  beauty 

Far  exceeds   my  fondest   dreams. 
Where  the  air  is  pure,  ethereal. 

Laden  with  breath  of  flowers. 
They  are  blooming  on  the  mountain, 

'Neath  the  amaranthine  bowers." 

But  let  us,  notwithstanding,  interpret  as  much  as  we 
may  the  rich  and  suggestive  imagery  of  the  picture. 
The  first  thing  that  strikes  a  thoughtful  reader  is  the 


256 


POWER   FROM   ON    HiaH 


direction  of  this  river.  We  know  it  represents  the  Holy 
Spirit,  the  blessed  Person  whose  ministry  is  to  cleanse, 
satisfy,  comfort,  help,  and  heal  the  disciples  of  Christ. 
But  why  is  it  flowing  out  and  not  in?  Are  we  not 
always  trying  to  get  this  river  to  run  into  us?  Are  we 
not  always  seeking  a  blessing  and  a  baptism?  But  here 
the  sanctuary  seems  to  have  only  one  business,  to  give 
out  the  water;  and  this  river  only  one  thing  to  do,  to 
go  forth  on  its  ministry  of  unselfish  mercy.  That  is 
the  true  life  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  true  purpose  of 
the  Spirit  in  coming  to  us  is  to  make  us  workers  to- 
gether with  God,  whose  one  business  is  ever  loving,  ever 
blessing,  ever  giving. 

It  was  not  after  this  river  became  deep  and  full  that 
it  began  to  flow  out;  but  from  the  first  little  trickling 
drop  it  was  at  the  same  business.  The  Temple  might 
have  said,  when  the  first  two  or  three  droplets  began 
to  ooze  from  beneath  the  threshold,  **I  can  never  spare 
you;  you  must  remain  in  my  n'servoir. "  But  no;  it 
simply  sent  them  forth,  and  away  they  went  on  their 
ministry  of  love;  and  so  on  to  the  end  it  was  ever 
flowing,  and,  when  it  reached  the  Dead  Sea,  its  living 
power  was  so  great  that  the  sea  became  transformed  into 
life  and  freshness. 

The  real  secret  of  the  Dead  Sea  was  that  it  had  no 
outlet;  it  was  just  a  great  reservoir  through  the  ages. 
But  as  it  begins  to  overflow,  it  lives.  Beloved,  this  is 
the  secret  of  spiritual  weakness  and  disappointment. 
You  want  a  blessing  for  yourself.  Begin  to  live  for 
God  and  others,  and  He  will  give  it  back  tenfold  to 
you  again. 

The  second  thing  we  learn  about  this  river  is  that 
it  flows  from  a  sanctuary.  What  is  a  sanctuarj'^ '?  It  is 
a  sacred,  separated,  holy,  and  divine  place.  First,  it 
must  be  separated  from  sinful  and  common  uses.  Sec- 
ondly, it  must  be  dedicated  to  God  and  belong  exclusive- 
ly to  Him.    Thirdly,  it  must  be  occupied  by  God  and  be 


THE   lU VKK   OF  BLESSING 


257 


that 
It  is 
rst,  it 
Sec- 
■lusive- 
nd  be 


^1 


filled  with  II im  as  its  Possessor,  its  Guest,  and  the  Ob- 
ject of  its  worship. 

Ill  this  sense  the  truly  consecrated  believer  is  God's 
sanctuary  when  he  separates  himself  from  all  evil  unto 
God,  dedicates  himself  to  be  the  property  of  the  Most 
Holy,  and  receives  the  Holy  Ghost  to  dwell  in  him,  and 
to  ivprcscnt  the  Trinity  .as  the  occupant  and  owner  of 
his  heart  and  life.  This  is  the  sanctuary.  This  is 
holiness.  This  is  the  true  Christian  life,  and  from  such 
a  soul  as  this  the  river  will  always  flow. 

But  you  cannot  be  a  blessing  to  others  beyond  your 
personal  experience.  You  cannot  give  what  you  have 
not  got.  You  cannot  bring  pure  water  out  of  an  un- 
clean fountain.  Why  are  we  not  greater  blessings? 
Because  our  hearts  ai'e  not  sanctuaries.  We  try  to  do 
a  little  for  God  and  then  find  the  whole  hindered  by  a 
thousand  forbidden  uses;  and  God  will  have  no  partner- 
ship with  evil,  and  will  accept  no  service  which  is  mixed 
or  compromised. 

Beloved,  let  us  consecrate  ourselves.  Let  Him  sanctify 
us.  fill  us,  and  then  flow  from  us  in  all  the  fullness  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  third  thing  about  this  river  is  that  it  flowed 
from  under  the  threshold  of  the  sanctuary.  It  did  not 
come  from  the  roof,  or  from  some  hill  behind  it,  or 
from  the  fountain  in  the  holy  court;  but  it  came  from 
the  lowest  place,  from  under  the  stairs,  where  pooph^ 
trod  as  they  passed  by.  And  so  the  Holy  Ghost  comes 
from  the  lowly  heart,  consecrates  the  humble  spirit, 
uses  the  man  who  is  most  dead  and  who  has  become 
so  lost  to  himself  and  all  his  graces  that  God  can  have 
all  the  glory,  and  can  fill  him  without  measure. 

The  fourth  thing  about  the  river  is  its  direction. 
It  is  flowing  toward  the  east.  It  is  the  river  of  the 
morning,  not  the  river  of  the  night.  It  does  not  repre- 
sent the  old  life,  whose  sun  is  going  down;  but  it 
represents  the  new  life  which  has  risen  with  the  resur- 


258 


POWER   FROM   ON    HIGH 


,i 


II 


i^ 


rection  of  Christ,  and  is  looking  out  into  the  everlast- 
ing morning.  It  is  a  new  and  resurrection  life,  and  it 
Hows  ever  toward  the  rising  sun. 

This  river  begins  in  a  few  little  trickling  drops.  It  is 
scarcely  a  rivulet  for  the  first  half  mile.  It  is  so  small 
that  it  just  oozes  from  under  the  threshold,  a  few  drops 
of  moisture,  but  it  becomes  a  mighty  stream  before  it 
reaches  the  sea.  So  the  Holy  Ghost  loves  to  begin  in 
"the  day  of  small  things."  He  loves  to  speak  to  us 
in  "the  still,  small  voice,"  to  show  us  that  we  are  not 
very  far  off.  If  He  shouted  in  our  ear,  it  would  be 
an  intimation  that  He  was  at  a  great  distance  or  that 
we  were  very  stupid.  There  is  no  sweeter  expression 
of  confidence  than  a  whispered  secret.  The  blessed  Holy 
Ghost  comes  to  us  with  the  faintest  touches  of  His 
breath ;  and  if  we  do  not  recognize  Him  in  these  small 
beginnings,  we  shall  not  see  their  growth  and  develop- 
ment, and  we  shall  wonder  all  our  days  why  we  did 
not  get  the  blessing.  We  are  looking  for  wind  and  rain, 
for  a  cyclone  of  power,  for  electric  storms,  when  the 
air  is  full  of  divine  electric  fire.  We  have  only  to 
make  the  connection,  to  take  it  as  we  need  it,  and  to 
turn  it  on  to  all  the  machinery  of  our  life. 

Beloved,  if  you  will  recognize  the  first  touches  of 
God,  the  faintest  whispers  of  His  answering  voice,  the 
little  finger  of  His  touch,  behind  which  stands  all  His 
omnipotence,  He  will  prove  to  you  that  it  is  not  by 
might  nor  by  power,  but  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  of 
Hosts. 

The  first  stage  of  the  river's  course  was  about  half 
a  mile  from  the  source.  There  the  prophet  was  halted 
by  his  attendant  and  caused  to  pass  over  the  little 
brook,  and,  lo!  it  had  increased  until  it  was  "water  to 
the  ankles."  The  Hebrew  word  is  much  more  expres- 
sive. It  means  literally  water  to  the  soles  of  the  feet. 
There  was  very  little  water  there,  perhaps  not  quarter 
of  an  inch  deep,  and  if  the  prophet  had  despised  it, 


THE   RIVER  OF  HLE8SING 


or. 


59 


■ 


it, 


he  would  havt'  b<!ou  kopi  out  of  ali  Ihc  t^lor.v  of  tlie 
vision.  Hut  he  put  his  feet  in  the  littlr  wiiter  that  he 
found.  There  was  enough  for  the  soU's  of  his  feet, 
and  that  was  enough  for  him. 

Is  not  this  just  what  is  said  to  us,  "Every  place  the 
soles  of  your  feet  shall  tread  upon,  that  have  1  given 
you"? 

What  shall  we  call  this  putting  down  of  our  feet  in 
the  waters?  Is  it,  perhaps,  the  act  of  stepping  out  on 
God's  Spirit,  o€  venturing  on  Him,  of  standing  on  Ilis 
promises,  of  coimting  upon  Ilim,  of  putting  our  weight 
upon  Him.  of  trusting  Him  for  everything,  and  public- 
ly recognizing  and  confessing  Him  as  our  life  and 
strength?  Or  does  it  mean  obedience?  Do  the  feet 
represent  the  steppings  of  duty?  Is  this  not  also  one 
of  the  earliest  stages  of  the  Spirit's  work?  lie  comes  to 
teach  us  faith  and  obedience,  and  He  always  requires 
us  to  do  something  very  early  in  our  spiritual  career, 
something  that  often  costs  sacrifice,  something  that 
proves  the  sincerity  of  our  motive,  something  that  means 
everything  to  us;  but  as  we  obey  Him  and  go  on,  we 
find  Him  coming  to  us  in  fuller  measure,  and  giving  us 
deeper  revelations  and  leading  us  on  to  a  larger  full- 
ness. 

Beloved,  shall  we  take  both  steps,  and  put  our  feet 
in  the  flood,  and  walk  in  the  Spirit,  and  accept  boldly 
and  lovingly  all  the  good  and  acceptable  and  perfect 
will  of  God? 

"Waters  to  the  kness."  This  is  the  ministry  of 
prayer  in  the  Spirit  that  follows  a  life  of  obedience  and 
faithfulness  to  God.  He  will  take  us  into  the  secret 
place  of  the  Most  High,  and  will  permit  us  to  bear  the 
burdens  of  others  and  to  share  with  Him  the  priesthood 
which  He  ever  fulfills  before  the  throne.  This  is  more 
than  our  words  and  works.  This  is  a  place  of  real 
power,  but  it  must  be  baptized  in  the  Spirit  or  it  will 
be  fruitless  and  vain. 


260 


POWER   PROM   ON    HIGH 


if 


Next,  W('  hyve  "tlir  waters  to  the  loins."'  This  is 
the  girding  of  power,  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit  for 
service.  The  girding  of  the  loins  is  the  symbol  of  serv- 
ice and  strength.  God  gives  power  to  His  servants  to 
speak  in  His  name  with  effectiveness  and  to  accomplish 
the  glorious  results  for  which  He  has  commissioned  them. 
Without  this  power  we  have  no  business  to  attempt  any 
service  for  God.  Jesus  did  not  begin  His  ministry  imtil 
he  received  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  it  is 
presumption  for  us  to  dare  to  do  so. 

Next,  we  have  the  waters  overhead,  "a  river  to  swim 
in."  The  waters  had  grow^n  so  deep  now  that  the 
prophet  is  himself  powerless  even  to  cross  them.  His 
own  movements  are  impossi])le,  and  all  he  can  do  is  to 
lie  upon  the  bosom  of  the  current  and  let  it  carry  him. 

This  speaks  of  a  time  where  we  come  to  the  end  of 
our  own  effort  and  fall  into  the  fullness  of  God.  Hence- 
forth our  work  is  God  working  in  us,  and  we  are  just 
like  the  swimmer  on  the  bosom  of  the  river  carried  by  the 
tide,  but  far  stronger  than  if  he  were  fording  it,  for  he 
has  all  the  strength  of  the  river  on  his  side.  Of  course, 
there  had  to  be  a  surrender  of  his  own  work. 

There  must,  of  course,  be  a  surrender  t)f  our  own  life 
before  we  can  fall  into  the  strength  of  God.  Then  shall 
we  inherit  all  the  fullness  of  the  divine  omnipotence; 
so  far  as  we  are  in  union  with  God's  help,  we  shall  have 
God's  powor.  This  power  is  spontaneous.  "Without 
a  struggle,  it  springs  from  a  source  beyond  ourselves, 
and  it  flows  like  the  ever  changing  river. 

Next,  we  notice  the  fruits  upon  the  bank  of  this  glo- 
rious river.  There  are  fruits  for  the  food  of  the  saints, 
perennial  fruits,  fruits  of  infinite  variety;  all  the  trees 
of  paradise  are  restored,  renewing  their  harvest  every 
month ;  each  joy  is  a  new  joy,  fresh  as  the  fruits  and 
flowers  of  paradise.  Even  the  very  leaves  are  for  heal- 
ing They  are  not  the  most  important  part  of  the  tree, 
but  they  have  their  place;    and  so  the  Lord's  healing 


THE   RIVER   OF  BLESSING 


26r 


through  the  Holy  Ghost  is  one  of  the  ministries  o£  the 
Spirit,  but  not  His  highest  ministry,  corresponding  to 
the  leaf  of  the  tree  while  the  fruit  corresponds  to  the 
deeper  spiritual  life. 

Then  there  are  other  fruits,  especially  the  fruit  of 
precious  souls.  The  fishermen  are  standing  on  the 
shores  of  the  Dead  Sea  gathering  in  their  precious 
slioals. 

What  a  solemn  picture  the  Dead  Sea  was,  hard  by 
Jerusalem's  gate,  continually  reminding  the  world  of  the 
hell  that  lies  near  the  gate  of  heaven!  Yonder  was 
Zion  and  the  Temple,  but  yonder  also  was  the  sea  of 
death  and  the  gate  of  hell. 

Ah,  still  it  is  ever  so!  While  we  are  rejoicing  in 
the  blessed  fullness  of  the  Spirit,  hard  by  our  gates 
are  the  masses  of  wretchedness  and  sin,  the  depths  of 
danger  and  sorrow  that  crowd  our  mighty  and  sinful 
city  and  our  poor  lost  world.  But  as  we  are  filled  with 
the  power  of  the  Spirit,  we,  too,  shall  go  forth  as  fishers 
of  men  to  gather  precious  souls  for  Christ  in  the  power 
of  the  Spirit,  and  to  turn  the  deserts  of  life  into  places 
of  blessing,  so  that  *  *  everything  wherever  the  river  comes 
shall  live." 

There  is  one  more  picture.  It  is  in  the  last  chapter 
of  the  book.  ''The  name  of  the  city  from  that  day 
shall  be  called  Jehovah  Shammah,  the  Lord  is  there." 

This  blessed  river  brings  the  Lord.  This  blessed  Holy 
Spirit  brings  the  abiding  presence  of  God,  and  He  is 
better  than  all  His  gifts,  graces,  and  operations.  He 
is  seeking  a  home  in  some  of  our  hearts.  The  Holy 
Spirit  is  knocking  at  the  door  to  find  entrance  for  the 
King  of  Glory.  If  we  will  let  Him  in,  He  will  make  it 
His  palace  and  His  home  and  dwell  with  us  forever. 
To  be  the  dwelling  place  of  God,  is  the  highest  and 
sublimest  glory  of  the  Spirit's  indwelling  in  the  saint. 

Like  the  ancient  architect,  who,  when  asked  to  build 
a  temple  for  the  sun,  after  others  had  constructed  their 


ii 


262 


POWER   FROM   ON   HIGH 


beautiful  models  of  granite  and  polished  marble  and 
resplendent  gold,  brought  a  design  made  of  simple  trans- 
parent glass,  and  said,  ''This  is  the  true  temple  for  the 
sun,  for  the  sun  himself  can  dwell  within  it  and  pass 
out  and  in  without  restraint." 

God  is  wanting  temples  for  Himself  as  transparent 
as  the  colorless  glass,  reflecting  not  their  own  glory  but 
His;  receiving  Him  without  the  necessity  of  opening 
a  single  door,  but  with  every  channel  and  capacity 
of  ours  so  free,  so  open,  and  so  in  touch,  that  we  live 
and  move  and  have  our  being  in  Him,  and  He  can 
find  in  us  that  congenial  abode  for  which  He  searches 
the  mighty  universe  and  the  highest  heaven  in  vain; 
for  are  not  we  also  "the  fullness  of  Him  who  fiUeth 
all  in  all"? 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  IN  THE  DAYS  OP  THE 

RESTORATION. 


"Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts. ' ' — Zechariah  4 :  6. 

THE  restoration  was  a  period  of  Jewish  history  as 
distinctly  marked  as  the  Patriarchal  or  the  Mosaic 
age,  the  times  of  the  JudgeS;  or  the  Kingdoms  of 
Judah  and  Israel.  It  followed  the  captivity,  and  was 
intended  to  prepare  the  way  for  a  yet  greater  event, 
the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

It  was  one  of  the  most  marked  periods  of  divine 
working  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  it  is  full  of  the 
manifestations  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  little  message 
which  Zechariah  gave  to  his  people  as  the  motto  of  that 
Restoration,  more  fitly  than  any  other  word  expresses 
its  entire  history.  It  was  a  movement,  not  of  human 
power,  but  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

It  was  unaccompanied  by  the  miraculous  signs  which 
attended  almost  every  other  important  period  of  Old 
Testament  history;  but  its  providential  miracles  and 
its  manifestations  of  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  were 
even  more  si<?nal  and  wonderful  than  the  miracles  of 
the  wilderness  and  the  land  of  promise. 

Let  us  trace  the  workings  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through 
this  wonderful  period. 


f 


The  first  stage  might  be  described  as  the  ministry  of 
prayer.  We  have  an  account  of  it  in  the  ninth  chapter 
of  the  Book  of  Daniel.  "In  the  first  year  of  Darius, 
the  son  of  Ahasuerus,  of  the  seed  of  the  Medes.  which 
was  made  king  over  the  realm  of  the  Chaldeans;    in 

263 
17 


264 


POWER    FROM   ON    HIGH 


the  lirsl  year  oi"  liis  reign,  1  Daniel  understood  by  the 
books  the  number  of  the  years,  whereof  the  word  of  the 
Lord  came  to  Jeremiah  the  prophet,  that  he  would 
accomplish  seventy  years  in  the  desolations  of  Jeru- 
salem. And  1  set  my  face  upon  the  Lord  God,  to  seek 
by  prayer  and  supplications,  with  fasting,  and  sackcloth, 
and  ashes." 

When  God  is  about  to  work  out  any  great  purpose, 
He  usually  lays  it  as  a  burden  of  prayer  upon  the 
heart  of  some  of  Ilis  saints  whom  He  can  fully  trust. 
So  He  called  Daniel,  His  tried  servant  in  Babylon, 
to  this  high  ministry  of  prayer. 

"We  cannot  fail  to  notice  the  connection  of  Daniel's 
prayer  with  Jeremiah's  prophecy.  Seventy  years  be- 
fore, the  prophet  of  God  had  announced,  not  only  the 
fact,  but  the  duration  of  Judah  's  captivity ;  and  Daniel 
had  been  carefully  studying  the  sacred  scroll  and  marked 
the  period  of  his  people's  affliction.  Now  that  the  time 
seemed  ro  have  run  its  course,  he  was  encouraged  to 
go  to  God  in  intercessions  and  plead  for  the  fulfillment  of 
His  promise  and  the  accomplishment  of  the  inspired 
prophecy. 

Some  would  have  said  that,  because  God  was  going 
to  do  it,  they  should  not  be  troubled  about  it.  Why  not 
wait  and  let  Him  work  out  His  own  counsel?  But  to 
true  faith  the  promise  of  God  is  a  direct  incentive  to 
prayer. 

True  faith  always  finds  its  warrant  in  the  Word  of 
God,  and  because  it  has  pleased  Him  to  commit  Him- 
self to  us  in  the  Word  of  Promise,  we  feel  encouraged 
to  present  our  petition,  and  to  believe  for  its  answer. 

Not  lightly  did  Daniel  pray,  but  for  three  full  weeks 
he  humbled  himself  in  fasting  and  prayer  before  hig 
God.  He  was  not  praying  for  himself.  He  was  not 
borne  down  bv  the  weight  of  his  own  trial  and  care. 
His  prayer  was  wholly  disinterested  and  altogether  for 
his  country  and  his  people  and  th«  glory  of  his  God. 


IN  THJS  DAYS  OF  THE  RESTORATION 


265 


1  by  the 
d  of  the 
6  would 
3f  Jeru- 
,  to  seek 
ackcloth, 

purpose, 
ipon  the 
ly  trust. 
Babylon, 

Daniel's 
ears  be- 
only  the 
d  Daniel 
[  marked 
the  time 
paged  to 
Iment  of 
inspired 

IS  going 
W^hy  not 
But  to 
ntive  to 

^ord  of 
it  Him- 
ouraged 

answer. 
11  weeks 
fore  his 
was  not 
id  care, 
ther  for 

is  God. 


This  is  true  prayer,  and  this  is  divine  partnership  with 
God  Himself.  This  is  the  highest  and  holiest  ministry 
given  to  mortal,  and  brings  us  into  direct  fellowship 
with  our  ascended  and  interceding  Lord. 

Not  in  vain  did  Daniel  thus  cry  to  heaven.  In  due 
time  a  messenger  came  to  him  from  the  sky,  and  directly 
announced  to  him;  first,  that  he  was  greatly  beloved; 
and,  next,  that  his  prayer  was  heard  and  answered, 
and  that  from  the  very  first  day  that  he  had  set  himself 
to  ask  it  of  God,  God  had  recorded  the  answer  in  the 
decrees  of  the  throne,  and  had  set  in  motion  all  the 
forces  of  His  power  to  accomplish  it. 

Indeed,  this  mighty  angel  had  been  three  weeks  on 
his  way,  hindered  by  the  powers  of  darkness,  and  the 
principalities  that  rule  over  the  governments  of  this 
world. 

What  a  vision  this  gives  us  of  the  living  forces  of 
the  world  unseen,  and  of  the  power  of  prayer  to  press 
through  all  those  labyrinths  of  evil  to  reach  the  heart 
and  hand  of  God  and  the  sceptre  of  the  universe! 

Dear  saint  of  God,  you  may  be  humble  and  unknown, 
you  may  have  little  talent  and  little  wealth;  but  alone 
in  your  closet,  you  can  touch  the  confines  of  the  world, 
and  set  in  motion  forces  which  will  influence  the  destiny 
of  nations. 

Yonder  in  Babylon  we  see  a  lowly  suppliant  on  his 
face  before  God,  in  sackcloth  and  ashes  and  deep  earnest- 
ness of  heart.  It  looks  to  us  like  a  spectacle  of  impotence. 
But  wait;  look  a  little  further.  Stretch  your  vision 
to  the  far  circumference  of  yonder  circle,  and  you  shall 
see  a  mighty  conqueror  pausing  in  his  career  of  triumph, 
issuing  a  decree  from  his  throne,  recognizing  the  power 
of  Jehovah,  and  bringing  all  the  forces  of  his  govern- 
ment to  carry  out  the  prayer  of  that  saint  of  God. 

You  shall  see  a  long  train  of  captives  "hastening 
from  their  exile  to  their  distant  home,  and  centuries 
on  centuries  of  national  prosperity  reaching  away  down 


ii: 


266 


POWER   FKOM   ON    HIGH 


to  Messianic  times,  aud  far  beyond  to  millennial  ages, 
All  is  the  result  of  the  prayer  of  Daniel,  the  beloved 
of  the  Lord. 

The  angel  that  came  to  him  told  liim  of  the  years  that 
should  intervene  until  the  close  <  f  the  Old  Testament 
dispensation.  He  told  him  of  the  coming  of  the  great 
Messiah.  He  told  Him  of  His  sacrifice  and  its  blessed 
efficacy.  He  told  him  of  the  trials  and  troubles  that 
should  come  to  his  people  afterwards,  and  he  reached  out 
to  the  most  distant  ages,  down  even  to  the  coming  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  His  glory.  0  friends,  when 
you  talk  to  God  and  rise  out  of  your  own  troubles,  and 
stand  with  Him  in  the  high  and  holy  ministry  of  prayer, 
you  get  a  much  larger  answer  than  you  expect.  God 
not  only  gives  you  what  you  ask,  but  He  gives  you 
an  eternity  beyond.    "Lord,  teach  us  to  pray. 


>> 


n. 

The  next  stage  of  the  working  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
seen  in  the  providential  movements  which  introduce 
the  Restoration. 

The  first  and  most  remarkable  of  these  was  the  career 
of  Cyrus.  More  than  a  century  before,  the  prophet 
Isaiah  had  described  this  extraordinary  man.  He  had 
e^■en  called  him  by  his  name  and  pointed  him  out  as 
the  special  instrument  of  the  divine  purpose  in  the 
restoration  of  Israel.  "Thus  saith  the  Lord  to  his  an- 
ointed, to  Cyrus,  whose  right  hand  I  have  holden,  to 
subdue  nations  before  him;  and  I  will  loose  the  loins 
of  kings,  to  open  before  him  two-leaved  gates;  and  the 
gates  shall  not  be  shut :  I  will  go  before  thee,  and  make 
the  crooked  places  straight;  T  will  break  in  pieces  the 
gates  of  brass,  and  cut  in  sunder  the  bars  of  iron :  and 
I  will  give  thee  treasures  of  darkness,  and  hidden  riches 
of  secret  places,  that  thou  mayest  know  that  I,  the  Lord, 
which  call  thee  by  thy  name,  am  the  God  of  Israel. 


IN  THE  DAYS  OF  THE  RESTORATION 


267 


al  ages, 
beloved 

ars  that 
stament 
le  great 

blessed 
les  that 
}hed  out 
ming  of 
[s,  when 
lies,  and 

prayer, 
!t.  God 
ves  you 


spirit  is 
itroduce 

career 
prophet 
He  had 

out  as 

in  the 
his  an- 
den,  to 
le  loins 
and  the 
id  make 
eces  the 
in:  and 
n  riches 
le  Lord, 

Israel. 


For  Jacob  my  servant's  sake,  and  Israel,  mine  elect, 
I  have  even  called  thee  by  thy  name ;  I  have  surnamed 
thee,  though  thou  hast  not  known  me." 

What  a  wonderful  picture!  What  marvelous  proph- 
ecy, and  how  literally  it  was  fulfilled  in  the  romautic 
story  of  Cyrus,  his  rapid  career  of  conquCvSt,  his  capture 
of  Babylon,  the  establishment  of  his  universal  empire, 
and  then  his  remarkable  part  in  the  restoration  of  Israel 
and  the  rebuilding  of  the  temple! 

The  next  chapter  in  this  extraordinary  series  of  events 
is  the  proclamation  of  Cyrus  in  the  first  verses  of  the 
book  of  Ezra.  "Now  in  the  first  year  of  Cyrus,  king 
of  Persia,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  by  the  mouth  of 
Jeremiah  might  be  fulfilled,  the  Lord  stirred  up  the 
spirit  of  Cyrus  king  of  Persia,  that  he  made  a  proclama- 
tion throughout  all  his  kingdom,  and  put  it  also  in  writ- 
ing, saying.  Thus  saith  Cyrus  king  of  Persia,  the  Lord 
God  of  heaven  hath  given  me  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
earth;  and  he  hath  charged  me  to  build  him  an  house  in 
Jerusalem,  which  is  in  Judah.  Who  is  there  among  you  of 
all  his  people?  his  God  be  with  him,  and  let  him  go 
up  to  Jerusalem,  which  is  in  Judah,  and  build  the  house 
of  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  (he  is  the  God)  which  is  in 
Jerusalem.  And  whosoever  remaiueth  in  any  place  where 
he  sojourneth,  let  the  men  of  his  place  help  him  with 
silver,  and  with  gold,  and  with  goods,  and  with  beasts, 
besides  the  free  will  offering  for  the  house  of  God  that  is 
in  Jerusalem. 

''Then  rose  up  the  chief  of  the  fathers  of  Judah  and 
Benjamin,  and  the  priests,  and  the  Levites,  with  all 
them  whose  spirit  God  had  raised,  to  go  up  to  build  the 
house  of  the  Lord   which  is  in  Jerusalem." 

**Also  Cynis  the  king,  brought  forth  the  vessels 
of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  which  Nebuchadnezzar  had 
brought  forth  out  of  Jerusalem,  and  had  put  them  in 
the  house  of  his  gods;  even  those  did  Cyrus  bring 
forth  by  the  hand  of  Mithredath  the  treasurer." 


268 


POWER    FROM    ON    HIGH 


Here  we  see  the  conqueror  of  the  world,  in  the  very- 
flush  of  his  renown,  turned  aside  by  a  divine  impulse, 
and  constrained  to  carry  out  the  very  purpose  and  will 
of  God. 

Oh,  how  wonderful  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost !  He 
is  able  to  deal  with  the  hearts  and  minds  of  men,  the 
highest  as  well  as  the  lowest,  and  to  overrule  even  their 
selfish  ambitions  and  plans  for  the  carrying  out  of  His 
own  purposes  and  the  building  up  of  His  own  kingdom. 

Pie  who  has  sent  us  His  ambassadors  to  the  nations 
has  declared,  "All  power  is  given  unto  me,  in  heaven 
and  in  earth."  "The  king's  heart  is  in  the  hand  of 
the  Lord,  as  the  rivers  of  water;  He  tumeth  it  with- 
soever  he  will." 

Could  w"  but  believe  more  definitely  in  the  power  and 
providence  of  God,  how  much  larger  would  our  plans 
of  service  be,  and  how  much  less  would  we  fear  the 
oppositions  of  men ! 

We  are  living  in  the  days  when  we  may  especially 
claim  the  overruling  providence  of  God  in  the  affairs  of 
men,  and  when  we  may  call  upon  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
co-operate  with  the  Church  of  Christ  in  sending  the 
Gospel  to  the  world,  and  hastening  the  coming  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

In  the  history  of  missions  there  have  been  some  very 
wonderful  instances  of  God's  interposing  power  through 
the  affairs  of  nations. 

The  story  of  Japan,  the  story  of  Siam,  the  story  of 
Madagascar,  the  Indian  Mutiny,  and  the  history  of 
China  for  half  a  century  are  full  of  romances  of  provi- 
dence as  significant  as  the  story  of  Cyrus.  God  has  many 
such  things  in  store  for  the  hearts  that  can  trust  Him. 

Oh,  let  us  understand  the  immensity  of  our  God  and 
the  far-reaching  scope  of  His  providence  and  His  power, 
and  enter  into  partnership  with  Him  in  His  great  de- 
sign to  give  the  Kingdom  to  His  Son.  The  Ancient 
of  Days  has  come   and  is  judging  among  the  nations, 


IN  THE  DAYS  OP  THK  ItESTORATTON 


269 


the  very 
impulse, 
and  will 

)st!  He 
nen,  the 
en  their 
t  of  His 
ingdom. 
nations 
heaven 
hand  of 
it  with- 

wer  and 
ir  plans 
fear  tho 

specially 

ffairs  of 

xhost  to 

ing  the 

of  the 


tne  very 
through 

story  of 
tory  of 
f  provi- 
is  many 
st  Him. 
Jod  and 
!  power, 
"cat  de- 
Aneient 
nations, 


to  give  the  Son  of  Man  His  Kingdom,  dominion,  and 
glory.  Let  us  recognize  His  Presence,  and  let  us  claim, 
as  in  the  days  old,  the  operation  of  His  mighty  power. 

How  sublime  and  solemn  the  spectacle  ui)on  which 
the  eyes  of  the  Church  are  gazing  today !  The  mighty 
Colossus  of  China,  so  long  opposed  to  foreign  influence 
and  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  is  being  broken  to  pieces  like 
a  potter's  vessel,  and  plowed  up  as  with  the  plowshare 
of  God  to  prepare  the  way  of  the  Lord.  Doubtless  it 
is  in  answer  to  some  prayer  of  faith.  Doubtless  it  in 
preparatory  to  some  glorious  aggressive  movement  of 
faith  and  evangelistic  zeal.  God  help  us  to  understand 
our  times  and  to  understand  our  God,  and  to  be  worthy 
of  our  high  calling  as  workers  together  with  Him! 

Another  extraordinary  providential  working  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  during  these  days  is  found  in  thi;  stor>'  of 
Esther.  It  was  another  miracle  of  Providence,  although 
on  a  different  plane,  and  in  a  simpler  sphere.  This 
time  a  nation  was  to  be  delivered  from  extermination. 
The  very  race  of  Israel  was  to  be  preserved  so  as  to 
form  a  line  through  which  Christ  could  come.  The  devil 
had  determined  to  blot  out  their  existence,  but  God  raised 
up  a  little  maiden  to  be  His  instrument  for  their  de- 
liverance. 

He  had  given  Esther  a  beautiful  face  and  a  fair  and 
attractive  form;  and  these  were  trusts  which  He  meant 
her  to  use  for  Him.  He  gave  her  favor  in  the  eyes 
of  the  king,  and  He  introduced  her  to  his  palace  and 
his  throne.  Dear  young  friend,  your  face,  your  form, 
your  place  in  society,  these  are  mighty  trusts  to  use 
for  God.  Take  heed  how  you  use  them.  There  came 
a  time  when  Esther  must  stand  forth  and  fulfill  hjr 
high  commission,  and  even  risk  her  life  for  th?  uake 
of  her  country.  She  hesitated;  and  had  she  faltered 
it  would  have  involved,  perhaps,  not  only  the  ruin  of 
her  people,  but  the  destruction  of  herself  and  her  father's 


270 


POWER   FROM   ON   HIGH 


house.  God  gave  her  grace  to  be  tnie,  and  through 
her  true,  brave  stand,  her  peoi)le  wore  delivered. 

The  euemies  of  God  were  caught  in  the  snare  which 
they  had  prepared.  So  God  today  is  working  through 
individuals  as  well  as  nations.  May  He  enable  us, 
like  Esther  of  old,  to  understand  His  solemn  message, 
"Who  knoweth  whether  thou  art  come  to  the  kingdom 
for  such  a  time  as  this?" 

Qinte  as  remarkable  is  the  story  of  Zerubbabel,  Ezra, 
Nehemiah,  and  the  returning  captives. 

It  was  no  small  undertaking  to  conduct  a  band  of 
50,000  unarmed  men  and  women  and  children  across 
that  vast  desert,  but  Ezra  so  fully  trusted  God  that 
he  would  not  even  ask  an  escort.  How  touching  his 
language!  "Then  I  proclaimed  a  fast  there,  at  the 
river  of  Ahava,  that  we  might  afflict  ourselves  before 
our  God,  to  seek  of  him  a  right  way  for  us,  and  for 
our  little  ones,  and  for  all  of  our  substance.  For  I 
was  ashamed  to  require  of  the  king  a  band  of  soldiers 
and  horsemen  to  help  us  against  the  enemy  in  the  way: 
because  we  had  spoken  unto  the  king,  saying,  The  hand 
of  our  God  is  upon  all  of  them  for  good  that  seek  him: 
but  his  power  and  his  wrath  is  against  all  that  forsake 
him.  So  we  fasted,  and  besought  our  God  for  this; 
and  he  was  entreated  of  us"  (Ezra  8:21).  "Then 
we  departed  from  the  river  of  Ahava,  on  the  twelfth 
day  of  the  first  month,  to  go  unto  Jerusalem;  and  the 
hand  of  our  God  was  upon  us,  and  he  delivered  us  from 
the  hand  of  the  enemy,  and  of  such  as  lay  in  w^ait  by  the 
way.     And  we  came  to  Jerusalem." 

This  was  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  thus  He 
loves  to  guard  and  guide  those  who  trust  in  Him. 
Their  task  was  a  most  diffieut  one.  First,  they  attempted 
to  build  the  temple  without  restoring  the  walls.  Their 
primary  object  was  to  set  up  the  worship  of  their  God, 
and  they  trusted  Him  to  be  a  wall  of  fire  round  about 
and  the  glorv  in  the  midst. 


IN  THE  DAYS  OF  THE  RESTORATION 


271 


irough 

which 
irough 
)le  us, 
essage, 
ngdom 

,  Ezra, 

and  of 
across 
d  that 
ing  his 
at  the 
before 
,nd  for 
For  I 
soldiers 
c  way: 
hand 
k  him: 
forsake 
this ; 
''Then 
;welfth 
Ind  the 
is  from 
by  the 

lus  He 
Him. 

I'mpted 
Their 

ir  God, 
about 


They  were  surrounded  by  jealous  foes  who  tried  in 
every  way  to  defeat  their  plan,  and  sometimes  succeeded 
in  delaying  their  work;  but  through  innumerable  vicis- 
situdes and  deliverances  God  safely  brought  them,  until 
the  temple  was  renewed,  and  the  walls  arose  under 
Nehemiah,  and  the  social  and  political  foundations  of 
their  national  life  were  once  more  restored. 

This  is  the  tru-e  secret  of  success  in  every  work  for 
God.  This  is  the  true  meaning  of  the  Church  of  Christ 
today.  God  is  her  Living  Head,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
her  all-sufficient  Defender,  her  All-sufficiency  and  Guide; 
and  those  who  fully  trust  Him  never  fail  to  find  Him 
true  and  equal  to  all  their  exigencies  and  needs. 

ra. 

THE   HOLY  SPIRIT  IN   THE  MESSAGES   OF  HIS   INSPIRED 

SERVANTS. 

While  God  raised  up  Cyrus,  Zerubbabel,  Joshua, 
Esther,  Ezra,  and  Nehemiah  to  lead  this  great  restora- 
tion, He  also  sent  His  prophetic  messenger  to  aid  them 
by  his  counsel.  By  their  divine  messages,  there  were 
three  special  prophets  connected  with  the  work  of  the 
restoration,  Haggai,  Zechariah,  and  Malachi.  Malachi's 
work  belongs  properly  to  a  later  period,  and  closes  the 
Old  Testament  dispensation.  Haggai  and  Zechariah  were 
contemporaries.  The  one  was  an  old  man,  the  other 
was  a  young  man.  God  has  need  of  both  classes  in 
the  ministry  of  His  Church.  We  have  time  at  present 
to  refer  to  Haggai 's  messages  only. 

There  were  several.  The  first  was  one  of  stern  rebuke. 
The  people  had  begun  to  forget  their  great  trust,  and, 
instead  of  rebuilding  the  house  of  God  in  Jerusalem, 
were  erecting  for  themselves  costly  homes  and  becoming 
absorbed  in  selfish  comfort  and  ambition.  The  prophet 
comes  with  a  very  solemn  rebuke. 

"Is  it  time  for  you,  0  ye,  to  dwell  in  ceiled  houses, 


272 


POWER   FKOM   ON   HTOn 


and  this  house  lie  waste?"  His  heart-searchmp  cry- 
is,  "Go  up  to  the  mountain,  and  bring  wood,  and  build 
the  house;  and  T  will  take  pleasure  in  it,  and  1  will 
be  glorified,  saith  the  Lord." 

His  message  was  not  in  vain.  The  officers  and  the 
people  rose  up  and  went  to  work  with  fidelity  and  zeal. 

Seven  weeks  later  Haggai  is  authorized  to  deliver 
to  the  people  a  very  different  message  full  of  divine 
encouragement  and  glorious  promis<^  "Yet  now  be 
strong,  0  Zerubbabel,  saith  the  Lord;  and  be  strong, 
0  Joshua,  the  son  of  Josedecli,  the  high  priest;  and  be 
strong,  all  ye  people  of  the  land,  saith  the  Lord,  and 
work:  for  I  am  with  you,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts: 
according  to  the  word  that  I  covenanted  with  you  when 
ye  came  out  of  Egypt,  so  my  Spirit  remaineth  among 
you:    fear  ye  not." 

The  Holy  Spirit  was  to  be  their  guide  and  strength. 
Again  and  again  the  phrase  is  repeated,  "Saith  the 
Lord."  It  was  the  word  of  God,  the  presence  of  God, 
the  Spirit  of  God,  that  was  to  be  their  dependence  and 
their  divine  resource  through  all  this  great  undertaking. 
And  then  the  promise  reaches  out  into  all  the  grandeur 
of  a  millennial  vision. 

"For  thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  Yet  once,  it  is  a  little 
while,  and  I  will  shake  the  heavens,  and  the  earth,  and 
the  sea,  and  the  dry  land;  and  I  will  shake  all  nations 
and  the  desire  of  all  nations  shall  come:  and  I  will 
fill  this  house  with  glory,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts. 

"The  silver  is  mine,  and  the  gold  is  mine,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts.  The  glory  of  this  latter  house  shall 
be  greater  than  of  the  former,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts: 
and  in  this  place  will  T  give  peace  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts." 

They  were  building  a  house  that  was  to  be  visited  in 
the  coming  centuries  by  the  Son  of  God  Himself,  and 
that  was  to  be  glorified  by  His  miracles  of  love  and 
words  of  grace.     Little  did  they  realize  the  glory,  the 


IN  THE  DAYS  OF   THE  KE8TOKAT10N 


273 


ip  cry 

build 

I  will 

11(1  tho 
d  /oal. 
iloliver 
divino 
ow  be 
strong, 
and  be 
d,  and 

hosts : 
Li  when 

among 

rongth. 
ith  the 
if  God, 
ice  and 
'taking, 
andeur 

a  little 
h,  and 
lations 
I  will 

th  the 
shall 
hosts : 
jord  of 

ited  in 
f.  and 
ve  and 
ry,  the 


latter  glory  for  which  they  were  laying  foundations. 
In  a  still  later  vision  the  prophet  looks  forward  to 
the  overthrow  of  nations  and  kingdoms,  and  the  coming 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Himself,  and  the  recompense  which 
then  will  await  Zerubbabel  and  his  faithful  laborers 
when  the  Lord  shall  make  them  like  a  signet  of  glory 
and   honor. 

This  may  be  the  glory  of  our  work.  This  is  the 
glory  of  all  work  done  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit.  It 
is  done  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  and  it  will  receive 
its  recompense  in  that  day  of  manifestations.  Oh,  let 
this  be  our  high  ambition ! 

Perhaps  the  house  we  build  for  Ilim  will  yet  be  trod- 
den by  the  feet  of  the  Son  of  man.  The  souls  we  bring 
to  Him  shall  be  presented  in  that  day  as  our  crown 
of  rejoicing  and  His.  The  world  that  we  win  for 
Him  shall  be  our  kingdom  as  well  as  IIis  in  the  day 
of  His  millennial  reign.  Yes,  if  we  may  but  haste  that 
coming  and  prepare  the  way  l)y  the  evangelization  of  the 
nations,  it  may  be  our  blessed  hope  and  transcendent 
privilege,  ourselves  to  live  to  meet  Ilim  in  His  glorious 
advent,  and  to  welcome  Him  back  to  the  world  for 
which  He  died,  then  to  share  with  Him  the  days,  the 
ages  of  blessing  and  glory,  which  fill  the  vision  of  the 
prophetic  age. 

Oh,  let  our  work  take  h'»'d  upon  His  coming,  and  be 
dignified  and  glorified  by  xe  same  promise  that  cheered 
the  heart  of  the  restorali  m  workers,  "The  glory  of  this 
latter  house  shall  be  greater  than  of  the  former,  and  in 
this  place  will  I  give  peace,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." 

The  prophetic  messages  of  Zechariah  were  still  more 
rich  and  full,  but  we  must  defer  to  another  chapter 
the  unfolding  of  his  sublime  and  instructive  images  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  OLIVE  TREES  AND  THE  GOLDEN  LAMPS. 

"Not  by  might,   nor  by  power,  but   by  My  Spirit,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts. ' '— Zech.  4 :  6. 


WE  have  already  looked  at  these  words  in  con- 
nection with  the  history  of  the  Restoration  and 
the  mighty  movements  of  God's  providence  in 
bringing  about  that  glorious  result.  We  also  referred 
to  the  prophetic  ministrj^  of  Ilaggai,  the  elder  of  the 
two  prophets  who  were  God's  messengers  of  counsel  and 
encouragement  to  the  leaders  and  people  at  this  crisis 

Still  more  remarkable  was  the  ministry  of  Zcehariah, 
the  younger  prophet.  His  wondrous  visions  were  all 
calculated  to  meet  some  special  need  and  trial  in  their 
situation  at  this  time. 

The  first  vision  was  that  of  the  man  among  the  mul- 
berry trees.  The  prophet  saw  in  a  vision  a  great  plain 
of  low,  flat  land  covered  \\ith  mulberry  trees,  and  among 
them  were  horses  moving  to  aiid  fro.  This  represented 
the  lowly  condition  <if  God's  peopli!;  and  the  horses, 
God's  ministers  of  power,  who  were  moving  in  the 
midst  of  His  people's  trials  and  working  for  their 
deliverance.  This  was  followed  by  a  message  of  special 
encouragement,  announcing  that  these  low  and  desolate 
regions  should  yet  be  filled  with  multitudes  of  people, 
that  the  cities,  through  prosperity,  should  yet  be  spread 
abroad;  and  that  the  Lord  should  comfort  Zion,  and 
would  choose  Jerusalem. 

Next  came  the  vision  of  th(>  horns  and  the  carpenters. 
Four  horns  appeared  before  the  prophet's  view,  rep- 
resenting the  enemies  that  were  scattering  Judah  and 
pushing  to  the  v/all  God's  suffering  pt^ople.  But  com- 
ing up  behind  them,  were  four  carpenters,  sent  to  fray 

274 


OLIVE  TREES  AND  GOLDEN  LAMPS 


275 


nith  the 


n  con- 
311  and 
nCxj  in 
eferred 
of  the 
sel  and 
s  crisis 
hariah, 
^ere  all 
n  their 

le  miil- 
Lt  plain 
among 
esented 
horses, 
in  the 
r  their 
special 
lesolate 
people, 
spread 
n.  and 


>enters. 
rep- 
fih  and 
it  com- 
to  fray 


the  piercing  hoi-ns  of  tbp  enemy,  and  blunt  their  points, 
BO  that  they  would  not  be  abl  to  touch  or  harm  God's 
suffering  children.  There  were  just  as  many  carpenters 
as  there  were  horns,  and  GodV  people  in  every  age 
may  know  that  wherever  there  is  a  foe  to  strike  there 
is  a  force  to  counteract  f(»r  those  who  trust  Him. 

Next  came  the  vision  of  the  man  with  the  moasunng 
line,  going  forth  to  mejtsure  the  walls  of  Jerusalem, 
its  length  and  its  breadth,  and  proclaiming:  "Jerusalem 
shall  yet  be  inhabited  as  towns  without  walls  for  the 
multitudes  of  men  and  cattle  therein."  This  was  in- 
tended to  encourage  them  amid  the  paucity  of  the  popu- 
lation. A  little  handful  of  returned  captives,  they  were 
trying  to  occupy  the  desolate  land,  and  they  seemed 
HO  few  and  contemptible  that  their  enemies  turned  them 
to  ridicule;  but  God  declared  tliat  they  would  yet 
spread  abroad  and  cover  all  the  land.  And  as  they 
looked  at  their  unwalled  city  and  the  defenceless  temple 
they  were  rearing  in  its  midst,  and  thought  of  their 
exposure  to  all  the  surrounding  enemies,  God  reassured 
them,  through  the  prophet,  with  the  precious  promise, 
"I  will  be  mito  her  a  wall  of  fire  round  about,  and 
will  be  the  glory  in  the  midst  of  her." 

Next  there  came  a  still  more  encouraging  vision.  All 
the  power  of  their  enemies  outside  could  not  hurt  them 
half  so  much  as  their  own  weakness  and  un worthiness 
within.  They  were  consciou.,  of  their  sinfulness,  and 
they  knew  that  they  had  already  suffered  for  their 
fathers'  unfaithfulnes^s.  They  might  fear  that  they, 
too,  should  forfeit  the  blessing  of  Jehovah.  And  so  the 
prophet  was  sent  with  another  vision.  He  beheld  Joshua, 
tht'  liigh  priest,  repi'esenting  the  people,  standing  before 
the  Lord  clothed  with  filthy  garments,  suggesting  their 
guilt  and  ^5iu,  and  Satan  standing  at  his  right  hand,  to 
resist  him. 

But  as  he  gazed,  lo!  the  command  is  given  from  the 
throne,  "Take  away  the  filthy  garments  from  him,  .  .  . 


276 


POWER   FROM   ON   HIGH 


and  1  will  clothe  him  with  a  change  of  raiment,  .  .  .  and 
aet  a  fair  mitre  on  his  head,"  and,  turning  to  the  accuser, 
Jehovah  answered  all  his  reproaches,  and  said:  "The 
Lord  rebuke  thee,  0  Satan;  even  the  Lord  that  hath 
chosen  Jerusalem  rebuke  thee;  is  not  this  a  brand 
plucked  out  of  the  fire?" 

Then  the  vision  was  followed  by  a  gracious  promise; 
of  cleansing  and  blessing  summed  up  in  the  glorious 
promise,  "I  will  remove  the  iniquity  of  that  land  in 
one  day."  God  stood  not  only  between  them  and  their 
enemies,  but  also  between  them  and  themselves,  ami 
all  their  own  unworthiness  and  sinfulness.  lie  thus 
stands  between  us  and  our  guilt,  our  shield  from  the 
accusing  of  our  conscience  and  the  charges  of  our  cruel 
adversary,  so  that  we  can  cry,  "Who  is  he  that  con- 
demneth?  It  is  Christ  that  died,  yea,  rather,  that  is 
risen  again,  who  is  even  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who 
also  maketh  intercession  for  us." 

But  now  we  come  to  the  vision  of  our  text,  the  most 
beautiful  and  significant  of  all,  and  unequalled  by  any 
other  portion  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  for  delicacy  and 
depth  of  sacred  meaning. 

It  was  intended  to  reveal  to  them  the  sources  of  their 
strength.  They  were  weak,  and  their  foes  were  strong. 
At  this  very  time,  through  the  intrigues  of  their  enemies, 
a  decree  had  come  from  the  king  of  Persia,  ariv3sting 
for  a  time  the  progress  of  the  work.  We  are  told  by 
Ezra  that  an  army  came  and  "with  force  and  power" 
caused  the  work  to  cease.  But,  like  the  echo  of  man's 
impotent  rage  answering  back  from  the  throne,  God 
S3nds  Zechariah  to  say  in  the  very  same  phrase  turned 
back  again,  "Not  by  force,  nor  by  power,  but  by  ray 
Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." 

Man  had  sent  his  force  and  power,  his  army  and 
his  might;  but  he  had  left  God  out  of  his  calculations, 
and  this  work  and  this  conflict  was  "not  by  might, 
nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  t>e  Lord  of 


OLIVE  TREES  AND  GOLDEN  LAMPS 


277 


and 


ICC  user 


(' 


it  hath 
brand 

promise 
glorious 
land  in 
id  their 
es,  ami 
le  thus 
*om  the 
ir  cruel 
lat  con- 
that  is 
od,  who 

he  most 

by  any 

icy  and 

of  their 
strong, 
nemies, 
rusting 
told  by 
power ' ' 
man's 
e,  God 
turned 
by  ray 

ly   and 

tions, 

might, 

l/ord   of 


hosts.  Who  art  thou,  O  great  mountain?  before  Zerub- 
babel  thou  shalt  become  a  plain :  and  he  shall  bring 
forth  the  headstone  thereof  with  shoutings,  crying,  Grace, 
grace,  unto  it!" 

The  vision  itself  was  a  very  beautiful  one.  As  he 
wakened  out  of  sleep  with  all  his  powers  quickened 
to  take  in  its  meaning,  he  saw  before  him  a  golden 
candlestick  like  that  which  stood  in  the  holy  place, 
with  its  seven  branches  of  polished  gold,  surmounted  by 
a  vessel  of  oil  and  a  glowing  flame.  Then  above  this 
candlestick  there  was  a  large  bowl  or  reservoir  con- 
nected by  pipes  with  all  the  lamps,  and  containing  the 
supply  of  oil.     But  how  was  this  reservoir  filled? 

Look  again  at  the  wondrous  and  exquisite  mechanism. 
There  were  no  oil  cans,  no  ministering  hands,  no  clumsy 
machinery  of  human  attendants  or  conveying  tubes, 
but  two  living  olive  trees  ripening  their  fruit  continual- 
ly and  pouring  it  in  through  two  olive  branches  into  the 
reservoir,  from  which  it  flowed  down  into  each  of  the 
lamps.  How  simple,  how  beautiful,  how  perfect,  and 
how  full  of  holy  meaning !  What  is  its  profound  spirit- 
ual meaning? 

I. 

THE   CANDLESTICK. 

The  golden  candlestick  represents  the  Church  of  God 
and  the  people  of  God.  "Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world." 
"Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men  that  they  shall 
see  your  good  works  and  glorify  your  Father  which  is 
in  heaven." 

Israel  of  old  was  to  that  generation  what  the  Church 
is  meant  to  be  today,  the  depository  of  divine  truth  and 
life  and  light,  the  true  light  of  the  world.  As  the 
candlestick  was  all  of  gold,  so  the  true  Church  of  Christ 
consists  only  of  those  who  are  partakers  of  the  divine 
nature.     Gold  is  the  type  of  the  divine,  and  only  as 


278 


PmrER   FROM   ON   HIGH 


we  are  re!*tore<J   Uf  the  image  of  God  and  filled  with 
His  light  and  pKufmce.  <'Hij   we  he  hghtbearers  for  the  i 
world.  j 

The  candlestick  was  the  only  light  of  the  temple.     It    ■ 
had  no  windows.    All  its  light  came  from  God.    And  the 
"  v^rJd  has  no  light  apart  from  the  Church  of  God.    This 
holy  book,  illuminated  by  the  Spirit,  contains  all  that  we 
know  of  God,  redemption,  and  the  future  life. 

He  is  a  foolish  man  who  tries  to  deceive  himself  and 
his  people  by  the  torchlight  of  his  own  eloquence,  phil- 
osophy, and  sensationalism. 

The  candlestick  was  one,  yet  manifold;  and  so  the 
Church  of  God  has  infinite  variety,  and  yet  but  one 
ligttt  and  one  body.  God  does  not  level  every  soul  down 
to  the  a&me  pattern,  but  He  lets  Isaiah  and  James  and 
«/ohn  to  be  each  himself;  and  yet  He  fills  all  with  God, 
Mtui  makes  their  life  divine,  yet  perfectlv  natural, 
sinif/^,  free,  anc.  liuman. 

Vjvery  part  of  oar  nature  has  to  pass  through  the  new 
'-creation,  but  every  part  is  preserved,  HuncUitled,  and 
iiiieAl  with  God.  So  the  whole  spirit  and  soul  and  body 
is  preserved  blameless  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

The  candlestick  was  not  luminous.  It  was  simply 
«  light-bearer.  It  could  make  no  light.  It  could  re- 
flexii  light  from  its  polished  and  brilliant  surface,  but  8 
the  lij<ht  must  come  from  another  source.  So  we  have 
no  light  in  ourselves;  we  can  simply  receive  the  light 
and  ht»ld  it.  V^e  are  not  ourselves  tiu'  light  of  the 
world,  but  we  are  to  so  shine  thai  men  shall  see  our 
good  v^'orks  aiid  glorify  our  Father  which  is  in  heaven, 

"Wo  are  to  reveal  not  our  goodness  and  our  grHce,  but 
Christ  in  us.  Let  all  me*i  see  how  helpless  and  in- 
sufficient we  are  in  ourselves,  but  what  an  all-suflRcient 
a,v\  mighty  Saviour  we  have,  and  One  available  for 
them  as  well  as  for  v^s.  This  is  the  light  that  the  world 
needs,  that  the  Holy  Ghost  and  the  person  and  grace 


OLIVE  TREES  AND  GOLDEN  LAMPS 


279 


filled  with 
(3rs  for  the 

temple.     It 

l.    And  the 

God.    This 

all  that  we 

limself  and 
lence,  phil- 

and  so  the 
et  but  one 
soul  down 
James  and 
L  with  God, 
y    natural, 


prli  llic  new 
lilied,  and 
and  body 
ord  Jesus 


^as  simply 
could  re- 
rfaco.  but 
o  we  have 
the  light 
I  of  the 
i  see  our 
n  heaven, 
prHce,  liut 
s  and  in- 
sufficient 
ilable  for 
the  world 
ind  grace 


of  Jesus  be  held  forth  for  their  darkness  and  misery, 
and  sin. 

The  business  of  the  candlestick  was  not  to  hoard  the 
oil,  but  to  consume  it,  to  use  it  up,  and  to  keep  it  ever 
burning  in  those  glowing  tongues  of  flame.  If  the  lamps 
and  pipes  had  tried  to  absorb  and  retain  the  oil,  they 
would  have  lost  it.  They  gave  it  up,  they  used  it  up. 
They  consumed  it  in  ceaseless  burning.  Men  some- 
times say  to  us:  ** Don't  expend  all  your  vitality;  don't 
use  all  your  strength;  save  yourself."  Ah,  that  is  the 
way  to  lose  yourself.  Only  that  which  we  give  we  have. 
That  which  we  keep  we  lose. 

Try  to  hold  on  to  one  of  God's  gifts,  and  "t  will  go. 
Try  to  economize  and  keep  for  yourself  your  blossing, 
and  it  will  disappear.  Pass  it  on  and  it  will  burn  for- 
ever. k&  those  lamps  exhausted  the  oil  in  their  little 
cups,  the  residue  of  the  oil  poured  in  from  above;  and 
they  were  alwa,^  full,  and  always  fresh,  and  always 
burning,  and  ah.-ys  shining. 

So  let  us  be  ** burning  and  shining  lights,"  and,  as 
we  give  out  wh^^  He  has  given.  He  will  replenisii  the 
supply,  and  we  shall  have  enough  and  to  spare;  and 
we.  too.  shall  "shine  in  the  midst  of  a  crooked  and 
perverse  generation." 

II. 

THE  Olli  IS   THE  EMBI.EM  OP  THE  HOLY  GHOST. 

It  is  He  who  gives  us  all  our  light  and  life.  It  is  He 
who  produces  in  us  all  our  gra  ies,  and  works  through  us 
all  our  service  for  God  and  men. 

Beloved,  this  is  the  test,  and  this  is  the  difference 
between  man  and  God.  Five  of  the  virgins  were  wise 
and  five  were  foolish.  They  that  were  foolish  took  their 
vessels,  but  they  took  no  oil  in  their  vessels  with  their 
lamps;   but  they  that  were  wise  tool'     '  ^u  their  veasels 


18 


280 


POWER    FROM    ON    HIGH 


with  their  lamps,  and  wiien  the  Bridegroom  came  this 
was  the  point  of  separation. 

The  foolish  virgins  were  virgins,  too.  Tliey  were 
pure;  they  were  waiting  and  longing  for  the  eoming 
of  the  i3ridegroom;  they  had  a  little  light,  and  they 
had  oil  enough  to  light  the  lamp  and  keep  it  burning 
for  a  time;  but  they  had  not  the  residue  of  the  oil, 
they  had  not  the  fullness  of  the  Spirit,  they  had  not 
the  indwelling  of  the  personal  Holy  Ghost.  And  so 
their  lamps  went  out  in  their  hour  of  need.  They  were 
unable  to  go  in  with  the  marriage  procession. 

The  one  point  which  settled  the  happy  fate  of  the 
others  was  simply  this,  that  they  had  "oil  in  their 
vessels  with  their  lamps."  They  had  the  Holy  Ghost 
personally  indwelling.  They  had  the  source  of  grace 
within  their  hearts.  They  did  not  need  to  go  and  re- 
plenish.    They  were  always  ready. 

Beloved,  let  a  word  be  sufficient  for  the  wise,  and, 
oh!  let  us  be  filled  with  the  Spirit,  so  that  we  shall  be 
found  of  Him  in  peace. 

in. 


THE  SOURCES  OP  THE  OIL. 

We  come  to  the  most  beautiful  and  significant  part 
of  the  picture,  the  sources  of  the  oil.  These  were  not 
the  same  human  mechanism  of  ministering  priests  and 
great  reservoirs  from  which  the  oil  was  carried  and  re- 
plenished day  by  day,  but  two  living  trees  whose  ripening 
fruit  was  continually  pressed  out  by  hands  unseen,  and 
flowed  through  two  olive  branches  and  two  golden  pipes 
\do\vn  into  the  reservoir  and  into  the  lamps.  It  was  all 
perfectly  spontaneous,  simple,  silent,  and  divine.  The  oil 
was  always  flowing;  the  reservoir  was  always  full;  the 
lamps  were  always  burning. 

This  is  the  source  of  our  divine  supply.  Who  were 
these  two  olive  trees?     Certainly  they  can  represent 


OLTVE  TREES  AND  GOLDEN  LAMPS 


281 


le  this 

'  were 
•oming 
il  they 
urning 
he  oil, 
ad  not 
^nd  so 
y  were 

of  the 
1  their 
Ghost 
"  grace 
iiid  re- 

e,  and, 
hall  be 


t  part 
re  not 
ts  and 
md  re- 
pening 
n,  and 
pipes 
tvas  all 
The  oil 
11;  the 

9  were 
)resent 


nothing  human,  but  the  divine  source  of  our  litV  in 
Christ.  They  represent  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and 
the  blesscfl  Holy  Ghost;  the  one  on  the  divine  sidf,  the 
other  on  the  earthly  side  ot'  our  spiritual  Hie.  lioth 
are  called  by  the  same  uame.  The  apostle  John  speaks 
of  Jesus  as  our  Advocate  or  Paraclete  with  the  Father, 
and  ht3  speaks  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  our  Paraclete  from 
the  Father.  The  one  is  the  Advocate  yonder,  the  otht'r 
is  the  Advocate  within. 

One  is  on  each  side  of  us,  and  between  two  such 
Advocates  how  caii  a  child  of  God  be  lost?  From  these 
two  blessed  Persons  of  the  Godhead,  distinct  in  their 
personality,  yet  one  in  their  nature,  we  draw  our  spirit- 
ual life.  We  draw  it  as  the  olivt3  trees  gave  forth  their 
oil,  spontaneously,  silently,  constantly,  instinctively,  just 
as  we  breathe  the  air  in  which  we  live,  just  as  the  blood 
circulates  through  our  system,  so  quietly,  so  naturally, 
so  simply,  that  we  are  unconscious  of  the  process. 

Thus  we  may  abide  in  Him  and  live  upon  Him,  and 
draw  our  strength  from  God  alone.  Beloved,  have  we 
learned  the  secret  of  the  olive  trees,  the  secret  of  abiding 
in  Him? 

But,  what  are  these  two  olive  branches  that  connect 
the  olive  trees  with  the  reservoir  and  run  into  two 
golden   pipes? 

These  are  '*the  two  anointed  ones,  or,  the  two  sons 
of  oil,  that  stand  before  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth." 
Ah !  this  is  the  ministry  of  believing  and  united  prayer. 
This  is  the  highest  service  given  to  saints  on  earth,  a 
counterpart  of  the  priestly  service  of  Jesus  Himself 
upon  the  throne. 

Beloved,  if  we  will  let  Him,  God  will  teach  us  this 
high  and  holy  service.  First,  these  branches  must  come 
out  of  the  trees  and  be  so  closely  in  touch  with  them 
that  they  can  communicate  directly  and  draw  their 
very  life ;  and  so  he  that  ministers  at  the  altar  of  prayer 
must  be  in  perfect  touch  with  God  on  the  heaven-side. 


282 


POWER   FROM   ON   HIGH 


But  on  the  other  sidt^,  he  must  be  in  perfect  touch  with 
man.  The  branches  must  run  into  the  reservoir  and 
connect  with  the  lamps. 

So  if  we  would  know  this  ministry  of  prayer,  we 
must  be  sensitive  to  the  needs  of  others.  We  must  be 
lost  to  our  selrishness.  We  must  be  in  touch  with  our 
fellow-men.  We  must  have  a  heart  full  of  sympathy 
and  love,  and  readiness  to  suffer  for  others  and  for 
God. 

God  give  us  this  glorious  ministry  and  teach  us  to 
know  the  meaning  of  that  mighty  promise,  "If  two 
of  you  shall  agree  on  earth  as  touching  anything  that 
they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them  of  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven." 

IV. 

1.  The  effects  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  working  will  appear 
first  in  the  overturning  of  obstacles.  "Who  art  thou, 
O  great  mountain?"  There  is  always  a  mountain  of 
difficulty  in  the  way  of  faith.  The  best  evidence  of 
God's  presence  and  power  is  the  activity  of  the  ad- 
versary. Faith  does  not  fear  the  highest  mountain  when 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  in  charge,  but  trustingly  and  quietly 
stands,  and  says,  "Who  art  thou,  0  great  mountain? 
Be  a  plain."  The  Holy  Ghost  will  give  the  faith  as 
well  as  remove  the  mountains.  One  cannot  but  be 
struck  with  the  similarity  of  this  passage  to  our  Sav- 
iour's wonderful  teaching  regarding  faith,  where  He 
says,  that  if  we  have  faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed, 
we  shall  say  to  the  mountain,  "Be  thou  removed,  and 
be  thou  cast  into  the  sea";  it  shall  be  done 

Faith  does  not  ask  the  mountain  to  be  removed.  Faith 
does  not  even  climb  the  mountain;  but  it  simply  com- 
mands it  to  disappear,  and  uses  the  authority  and  power 
of  God.  This  is  the  way  the  Holy  Spirit  works  in  the 
hearts  of  those  who  trust  and  obey  Him  and  are  led 
by  the  Spirit  of  God 


OLIVK  TREES  AND  GOLDEN  LAMPS 


283 


ch  with 
oir  and 

yer,  we 
[nust  be 
nth  our 
mpathy 
ind  for 

h  us  to 

'If  two 

ng  that 

Father 


appear 
rt  thou, 
tain  of 
ence  of 
the  ad- 
n  when 
quietly 
untain? 
'aith  as 
but  be 
ir  Sav- 
ere  He 
•d  seed, 
3d,  and 

.  Faith 
y  corn- 
power 
in  the 
are  led 


2.  The  "»vork  of  the  Holy  Ghost  gives  all  the  glory 
to  God.  "He  shall  bring  forth  the  headstone  with 
shouting,  crying  Grace,  grace  imto  it!" 

Man's  work  refiocts  its  honor  upon  man;  but  when 
we  become  possessed  of  God,  and  recognize  His  all- 
sufficiency,  we  can  speak  of  His  work  without  conscious- 
ness of  ourselves,  and  say  with  the  apostle,  ''Not  I, 
but  the  grace  of  Christ  in  me." 

3.  The  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  a  finished  work. 
He  does  not  leave  the  broken  column  and  the  uiiroofed 
walls;  but  He  accomplishes  His  purpose,  and  He  leads 
us  to  see  our  expectation  and  finish  our  work.  The  hands 
of  Zerubbabel  have  laid  the  foundation  of  this  house; 
his  hands  also  shall  finish  it,  and  "Thou  shalt  know  that 
the  Lord  of  hosts  hath  sent  me  unto  you." 

The  work  of  human  ambition  and  impulse  is  weak, 
unstable,  and  spasmodic;  but  the  work  that  God  in- 
spires is  carried  through. 

4.  The  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  straight  work,  and 
perfectly  plumb.  *'They  shall  rejoice,  and  shall  see 
the  plummet  in  the  hand  of  Zerubbabel."  The  plum- 
met is  the  symbol  of  righteousness.  A  plumb  wall  is 
a  straight  wall,  a  perpendicular  wall;  and  so  the  work 
that  God  has  is  a  straight  work,  pure  work,  and  right 
work.  The  work  that  He  inspires  and  carries  forward 
has  no  compromises  about  it,  and  does  not  need  to 
try  to  please  men;  but  it  rises  on  Scriptural  founda- 
tions, and  its  walls  are  righteousness,  and  its  gates, 
praise. 

5.  Finally,  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  accom- 
plished through  feeble  instrumentalities.  "Who  hath 
despised  the  day  of  small  things?"  This  is  the  way 
it  begins.  "God  hath  cho^;en  the  weak  things  of  the 
world  to  confound  the  things  which  are  mighty,  and 
base  things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are  despised, 
hath  God  chosen,  yea,  and  the  things  which  are  not,  to 


284 


I'OWKli    FROM    ON    11 10 11 


bring  to  nought  things  that  are:  that  no  llcsh  shoulrl 
glory  in  His  presence." 

I  never  read  this  text  without  remembering  ;i  cold 
November  afternoon,  in  the  year  1881,  when  a  little 
company  of  seven  p(!rsons  met  in  an  upi)er  room  in 
this  city  to  confer  and  pray  about  giving  the  Gospel  in 
its  fullness  to  the  neglected  and  churchless  people  of 
this  great  city.  We  were  all  poor,  and  there  were  but 
a  few  of  us  at  that.  We  had  come  together  in  answer 
to  a  public  call  for  a  meeting  of  all  who  were  interested 
in  this  subject. 

As  we  sat  down  in  the  cheerless  hall  and  gathered 
round  the  fire  to  keep  ourselves  from  freezing,  we  looked 
at  each  other;  and,  certainly,  it  was  the  day  of  small 
things.  Then  we  asked  God  to  speak  to  us.  As  we 
opened  our  Bible  that  afternoon,  the  leaves  parted  at 
the  fourth  chapter  of  Zechariah,  and,  without  thinking, 
our  eye  feel  on  this  very  verse,  "This  is  the  word  oP 
the  Lord  unto  Zerubbabel,  saying,  Not  by  might,  nor 
by  power,  but  by  My  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  .  .  . 
For  who  hath  despised  the  day  of  small  things?" 

Never,  perhaps,  did  a  message  come  to  human  hearts 
with  more  strange  and  thrilling  power  than  that  mes- 
sage that  afternoon.  Kneeling  down  together,  we  let 
God  pray  His  own  prayer  in  our  hearts;  and  the  years 
that  have  followed  have  brought  the  blessed  answer. 

Do  not  be  afraid  of  small  beginnings.  We  may  well 
fear  large  and  pretentious  resources,  but  God  added  tc 
seven  ciphers  will  amount  to  millions  every  time. 


II 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  LAST  MESSAGE  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST  TO 
THE   OLD    DISPENSATION. 

But  who  may  abide  the  day  of  his  comingf  and  who  shall 
stand  when  he  appcaroth?  for  he  is  like  a  refiner's  fire,  and  Jikf 
fullers'  Hoap:  and  he  shjill  sit  as  a  refiner  and  jnirifier  of  silver; 
and  he  shall  purify  the  sons  of  Levi,  and  purjje  fliein  as  >?old  and 
silver,  that  they  may  offer  unto  the  Lord  an  offering  in  righteous- 
ness. '  '—Mai.  3 :  2,  3. 

THK  Hook  of  Malaehi  contains  the  last  message  of 
the  Holy  Gho.st  to  the  old  dispensation.  It  was 
his  high  honor  to  close  the  prophetic  s(to11  2,300 
years  ago,  before  the  silence  of  400  years,  which  was  to 
he  broken  once  more,  when  "God,  who  at  sundry  times 
and  in  divt^rs  manners  spake  in  time  past  to  the  fathers 
by  the  prophets,"  shovdd  at  length  speak  unto  us  by 
His  Son. 

While  he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  prophets  of  the 
Restoration,  strictly  speaking,  he  came  just  after  the 
Restoration  had  been  accomplished,  so  far,  at  least, 
as  the  ecclesiastical  and  political  reorganization  of  the 
nation  was  concerned ;  and  his  part  was  rather  to  be 
the  spiritual  reformer  of  his  times,  and  to  rouse  his 
countrymen  from  the  reaction  into  which  their  religious 
life  was  falling,  and  summon  them  to  righteousness  and 
faithfulness  to  God. 

His  name  signifies  "My  messenger,"  and  he  was  in- 
deed the  mouthpiece  and  the  messenger  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  his  own  age  and  to  ours  nlso,  in  the  very 
special  sense  in  whieh  these  times  were  typical  of  our 
own. 

The  closing  years  of  the  Old  Testament  dispensation 
might,  very  naturally,  be  expected  to  correspond  to  the 

285 


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POWER   FROM   OX    HIGH 


closing  years  of  the  New  Testament  age.  The  state  of 
the  people  in  Malachi's  day  bore  a  striking  correspond- 
ence to  the  age  we  live  in,  and  his  messages  to  his  own 
generation  have  a  solemn  significance  to  us  "on  whom 
the  ends  of  the  world  are  come." 


I. 

MALACHI*S  MESSAGES   TO  HIS   OWN  TIMES. 

The  Restoration  had  been  followed  by  a  period  of 
prosperity,  and,  as  usually  happens,  this  had  brought 
spiritual  declension  and,  indeed,  a  very  mournful  con- 
dition of  a  religious  life. 

The  moral  condition  of  the  people  was  indicated,  as 
is  usually  the  case,  by  the  prevalence  of  divorce  and  the 
decay  of  domestic  and  social  purity  and  righteouness. 
The  wives  of  their  youth  were  put  away  without  cause, 
"the  daughters  of  a  strange  god"  were  taken  into  un- 
holy alliances,  and  the  altar  of  Jehovah  was  "covered 
with  teal's."  This  was  done,  not  only  by  the  people, 
but  the  very  priests  were  foremost  in  this  laxity  of 
morals.  Malachi  was  sent  to  rebuke  their  wickedness 
and  to  tell  them  that  God  hated  their  ''putting  away" 
and  their  unholy  lives,  and  to  call  them  swiftly  and 
solemnly  to  righteousness  and  repentance.  Then,  along 
with  this,  there  had  grown  up  a  spirit  of  mercenary 
selfishness.  The  very  service  of  the  sanctuary  had  be- 
come tainted  with  it  so  that  the  priesthood  was  a  s^lf- 
interested  profession.  No  man  would  even  shut  the  doors 
of  the  temple  without  a  salary.  The  old  spirit  of  sacri- 
fice, love,  and  disinterested  devotion  was  dead;  and  a 
lot  of  time-serving  parasites  had  sprung  up,  and  begun 
to  use  the  very  house  of  God  for  their  selfish  aggrandize- 
ment and  gain. 

Growing  out  of  this  mercenary  spirit  on  the  part  of 
the  priesthood  there  was  on  the  part  of  the  people 
corresponding  selfishness  and   stinginess.     They  with- 


LAST  MESSAGE  TO  OLD  DISPENSATION 


287 


held  the  tithes  and  even  tried  to  cheat  the  Lord  by- 
unworthy  and  dishonest  offerings.  "Ye  offer  polluted 
bread  upon  mine  altar;    and  ye  say,  Wherein  have  we 

polluted    Thee  ? And    if   ye    offer    the    blind    for 

sacrifice,  is  it  not  evil?  and  if  ye  offer  the  lame  and 
sick,  is  it  not  evil?  .  .  .  Who  is  there  among  you 
that  would  shut  the  doors  for  nought?  neither  do 
you  kindle  a  fire  on  mine  altar  for  nought.  I  have 
no  pleasure  in  you,  saith  the  Lord,  neither  will  I  accept 
an  offering  at  your  hand.  ...  Ye  said  also.  Behold, 
what  a  weariness  is  it !  and  ye  have  snuffed  at  it,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts ;  and  ye  brought  that  which  was  torn, 
and  the  lame,  and  the  sick;  thus  ye  broaght  an  offer- 
ing: should  I  accept  this  out  of  your  hand?  saith  the 
Lord."  **Will  a  man  rob  God?  Yet  ye  have  robbed 
me.  But  ye  say,  Wherein  have  we  robbed  thee  ?  In  tithes 
and  offerings.  Ye  are  cursed  with  a  curse:  for  ye 
have  robbed  me,  even  this  whole  nation.  Bring  ye  all 
the  tithes  into  the  storehouse,  that  there  may  be  meat 
in  mine  house,  and  prove  me  now  herewith,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  if  I  will  not  open  you  the  windows  of 
heaven,  and  pour  you  out  a  blessing,  that  there  shall 
not  be  room  enough  to  receive  it." 

Thus  IVIalachi,  spoke  to  the  last  generation  of  the 
Old  Testament,  and  thus  he  might  speak  with  equal 
fitness  to  the  last  generation  of  the  Christian  age.  There 
is  the  same  laxity  of  morals,  the  same  obliteration  of 
God's  sharp  distinctions,  the  same  breaking  down  of 
the  sanctities  of  home,  the  same  avarice  and  love  of 
money,  the  same  mercenary  spirit  in  the  very  work  of 
God  with  its  hired  preachers,  hired  choirs,  hired  prayers. 
The  very  pulpit  is  an  arena  for  intellectual  gymnasts 
and  a  field  for  ministerial  ambition.  There  is  the  same 
worldliness  and  niggardliness  in  the  Church  of  God, 
with  millions  for  our  luxuries  and  pleasures,  but  pit- 
tances for  God;  splendid  frescoed  ceilings  and  costly 
spires,  pointing  in  proud  profession  to  heaven,  but  less 


pp 


288 


POWER   FROM   ON   mGH 


per  head  from  the  peoph?  of  God  to  send  the  Gospel  to 
the  world  than  we  pay  for  our  table  salt  or  the  egg  shell 
in  our  coffee.  Is  not  this  as  truly  the  portrait  of  our 
times,  as  it  was  of  the  days  of  Malachi?  And  is  not 
this  the  same  picture  which  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  New 
Testament  has  left,  as  of  the  last  days  of  the  present 
dispensation:  "This  know  also  that  in  the  last  days 
perilous  times  shall  come.  For  men  shall  be  lovers 
of  their  own  selves,  covetous,  .  .  .  lovers  of  plffj^^re 
more  than  lovers  of  God;  having  a  form  of  goali*  ess 
but  denymg  the  power  thereof." 

Already  these  times  have  begun  to  come,  and  the 
messages  of  Malachi  and  Paul  speak  to  the  compromis- 
ing Christians  of  today  with  a  terrible  aptness  and  fideli- 
ty. It  would,  indeed,  seem  as  if  the  professed  followers  of 
God  in  every  dispensation  had  to  be  tried  and  found 
wanting.  Adam  first  failed  in  Eden;  then  the  Antedilu- 
vian age  went  out  in  judgment.  The  patriarchal  family 
sank  into  Egyptian  slavery.  The  conquest  of  Canaan  end- 
ed in  the  long  captivity  of  the  Judges.  The  kingdom  of 
David  terminated  in  the  fall  of  Israel  and  the  captivity 
of  Judah.  And  now  the  glorious  Restoration  under 
Zerubbabel,  Ezra,  and  Nehemiah  had  fallen  back  into 
the  worldlinoss  and  ungodliness  of  Malachi 's  day.  Even 
so  shall  it  be  with  the  closing  days  of  the  Christian 
dispensation.  As  the  pure  church  of  Paul  and  John 
became  the  apostasy  of  Romanism,  even  so  the  church 
of  the  Reformation  is  yet  to  develop  into  the  Laodicea 
of  the  last  days;  and  the  signs  of  Laodicea  are  not 
so  far  to  seek  already  in  the  spirit  of  our  own  times. 

But  in  the  days  of  Malachi  there  was  a  faithful 
remnant,  a  little  Church  within  the  Church,  a  band  of 
whom  the  prophet  could  say:  "Then  they  that  feared 
the  Lord  spake  often  one  to  another;  and  the  Lord 
hearkened,  and  heard  it,  and  a  book  of  remembrance 
was  written  before  him  for  them  that  feared  the  Lord, 
and  that  thought  upon  his  name.     And  they  shall  be 


LAST  MESSAGE  TO  OLD  DISPENSATION 


280 


mine,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  in  that  clay  when  I  make 
up  my  jewels;  and  I  will  spare  them  as  a  man  spareth 
his  own  son  that  serveth  him.  Then  shall  ye  return 
and  discern  between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked;  be- 
tween him  that  serveth  God  and  him  that  serveth  him 
not." 

And  so  in  our  own  days  there  is  still  "the  little 
flock,"  the  church  of  Philadelphia  side  by  side 
with  Laodicea,  waiting  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord. 
There  is  a  larger  remnant  than  we  dream  in  every  dark 
and  sinful  generation  who  have  not  bowed  the  knee 
to  the  image  of  Baal.  There  is  today  in  every  church  of 
Christ  on  earth  the  strange  spectacle  of  a  great,  broad 
mass  of  professing  Christians  who  know  or  want  to  know 
little  of  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and,  within  that 
wider  circle,  a  hidden  few,  like  Enoch,  who  are  walking 
with  God,  who  are  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  are 
watching  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  and  who  are  the 
preserving  salt  of  the  whole  body  and  the  real  impelling 
force  of  all  the  Christian  activities  of  the  entire  church 
of  Christ  today. 

Thus  the  age  of  Malachi  touches  our  own  with  a  won- 
derful correspondence,  and  the  closing  messages  of  the 
Old  Testament  ring  like  a  trumpet  call  to  the  last  age 
of  the  New  Testament  church.  Let  us  receive  their  solemn 
warnings.  Let  us  rejoice  in  their  bright  and  blessed 
promises.  Let  us  be  found  among  the  little  remnant  of 
holy  and  waiting  ones. 

n. 


THE   SPECIAL   PROMISE  OP  THE  SPIRIT  IN    MALACHI. 

Ther*?  are  two  special  promises  in  this  prophetic  book. 
The  firsr  is  the  coming  of  John  the  Baptist.  "Behold, 
I  will  fend  my  messenger,  who  shall  prepare  the  way 
before  me."  The  second  is  the  coming  of  the  Lord 
Him; '.elf  in  His  first  advent.     "And  the  Lord,  whom 


^p 


290 


POWER   FROM   ON   HIGH 


ye  seek,  shall  suddenly  come  to  His  temple,  even  th« 
Messenger  of  the  covenant  whom  y  '  delight  in:  behold, 
He  shall  come,  saith  the  Lord  o  "  hosts."  This,  of  course, 
has  reference  to  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
in  His  incarnation  and  earthly  ministry.  But  the  prom- 
ise immediately  unfolds  into  a  fullness  of  meaning  whicth 
takes  in  also  the  ministry  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Indeed, 
the  ministry  of  Christ  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost  are  here 
so  linked  together  that  it  is  impossible  to  tell  where  one 
begins  and  the  other  ends.  **But  who  may  abide  the 
day  of  his  coming?  and  who  shall  stand  when  he  ap- 
peareth?  for  he  is  likft  a  refiner's  ftre,  and  like  fullers' 
soap:  and  he  shall  sit  as  a  refiner  and  purifier  of 
silver;  and  shall  purify  the  sons  of  Levi,  and  purge 
them  as  gold  and  silver,  that  they  may  offer  unto  the 
Lord  an  offering  in  righteousness."  Then,  later,  there 
comes  a  third  promise  in  the  next  chapter,  of  the  other 
day  that  is  coming,  the  other  fire  that  is  to  consume 
and  burn  to  ashes  all  the  dross  which  the  fire  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  has  not  burned  away.  This,  of  course,  is  the 
day  of  the  Lord's  second  coming,  to  be  preceded  by  the 
ministry  of  Elijah  in  some  sense,  and  to  bring  to  Israel's 
returning  sons  the  rising  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
and  to  the  waiting  saints  of  God  the  day  of  millennial 
glory. 

It  is  especially  to  the  second  of  these  promises  that 
our  subject  holds  us,  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

1.  It  is,  as  we  have  seen,  connected  directly  with  the 
personal  ministry  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Himself.  It  is 
spoken  of  as  if  it  were  all  Christ's  own  work.  But  we 
know  who  it  was  that  brought  the  refiner's  fire  and 
the  fullers'  soap,  the  blessed  Holy  Ghost.  Yet  it  is 
Christ  who  ''baptizeth  with  the  Holy  Ghost";  and 
when  He  comes  it  is  Christ  He  brings,  so  that  it  is 
the  one  life,  the  one  work,  through  the  two  persons 
of  the  one  God. 


LAST  MESSAGE  TO  OLD  DISPENSATION 


291 


even  the 
:  behold, 
)f  course, 
IS  Christ 
he  proin- 
ng  which 
Indeed, 
are  here 
here  one 
ibide  the 
a  he  ap- 
;  fullers' 
rifier  of 
d  purge 
uuto  the 
er,  there 
he  other 
consume 
e  of  the 
36,  is  the 
i  by  the 
Israel 's 
eousness 
illennial 

ses  that 
host, 
vith  the 
It  is 
But  we 
ire  and 
et  it  is 
;  and 
it  it  is 
persons 


2.  The  work  He  comes  to  do  is  to  cleanse  and  purify, 
lie  is  the  Spirit  of  holiness.  But  there  arc  two  stages 
of  holiness  suggested.  The  first  is  cleansing  from  sin; 
the  second  is  refining  the  gold  and  bringing  it  to  a 
higher  measure  of  purity  and  beauty.  The  Spirit  comes 
to  do  both  these  works  in  the  believer's  heart.  It  is  one 
thing  to  be  cleansed  from  all  known  sin,  but  it  is  quite 
another  to  be  refined,  polished,  and  transformed  into 
all  the  fullness  of  all  the  <^ood  and  acceptable  and  per- 
fect will  of  God.  There  is  a  good,  but  there  is  also 
an  acceptable;  and  then  there  is  the  perfect  will  of 
God,  and  the  Spirit  is  longing  to  bring  us  up  to  the 
highest.  The  wedding  robe  of  the  Bride  of  the  Lamb 
is  represented  as  not  only  clean,  but  bright ;  that  is, 
glorious  and  beautiful,  like  Christ's  own  transfiguration 
robes.  Iron  can  be  refined  until  it  is  more  precious 
than  gold.  So  our  hearts  can  be  not  only  purified  but 
glorified,  even  here. 

3.  Corresponding  to  this  double  work  is  the  double 
figure,  the  refiner's  fire  and  the  fullers'  soap.  The 
soap  is  for  outward  cleansing,  the  fire  is  for  inward  and 
intrinsic  transformation.  Fire  can  penetrate  where 
water  cannot  reach,  and  can  be  used  where  water  and 
soap  are  of  no  avail.  Fire  can  be  used  to  cleanse  only 
that  which  in  its  nature  is  indestructible.  The  silver 
and  the  gold  can  stand  the  fire,  because  they  are  incom- 
bustible. The  more  you  burn  them  the  more  you  im- 
prove them.  So  the  fire  of  the  Holy  Ghost  can  come  to 
us  only  when  we  become  united  with  God,  and  partakers 
of  His  divine  nature.  Th-en  we  do  not  fear  the  fire. 
It  cannot  hurt,  but  only  refines.  Beloved,  some  of  us 
have  only  passed  through  soap  and  water.  God  wants 
our  garments  fire-touched.  Then  "the  King's  daughter" 
shall  be  "all  glorious  within,  her  clothing  of  wrought 
gold,"  w^hich  no  flame  can   deface  or  destroy. 

4.  "He  shall  sit."  This  is  very  striking.  He  does  not 
hurry  His  work;    that   is,   the  work  of   the   fire,   the 


9m 


292 


POWER   FKOM   ON    HIGH 


deeper,  iutcuser  in  working  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  There  is 
a  baptism  of  the  Spirit,  a  receiving  of  the  Spirit,  a 
cleansing  work  of  the  Spirit  which  is  instantaneous  and 
complete.  But  there  is  a  later  work,  the  following  up, 
the  filling  out,  the  burning  in  of  the  Refiner  which  must 
take  time.  God  is  willing  to  take  the  time.  Let  us  he, 
too.  The  figure  suggests  the  most  thoughtful  care.  He 
sits  down  at  the  crucible.  He  does  not  for  a  moment 
leave  His  precious  work.  Ho  does  not  let  the  fire  get 
too  hot,  or  burn  too  long.  And  the  moment  He  can 
see  His  face  on  the  molten  gold.  He  knows  the  work 
is  complete,  and  the  fire  is  withdrawn.  It  is  a  great 
thing  to  understand  rightly  the  immediate  and  instan- 
taneous work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  converting  the  soul, 
and  then  in  entering  it  and  taking  up  His  eternal  dwell- 
ing there  through  our  obedience  and  faith,  as  our  Sancti- 
fier  and  Keeper ;  and  His  more  gradual  and  subsequent 
work,  in  developing  and  filling  our  spiritual  capacity, 
searching  and  enlarging  us,  and  leading  us  on  and  out 
and  up  into  all  the  fullness  of  the  mature  manhood  of 
Christ. 

How  wonderful,  how  gracious,  how  kind  that  He  will 
take  such  trouble  with  us,  and,  with  love  that  will  not  tire, 
work  out  in  us  to  the  end  "all  the  good  pleasure  of 
His  goodness,"  and  make  us  perfect  in  every  good  work 
to  do  His  will,  working  in  us  that  which  is  well  pleasing 
in  His  sight  through  Jesus  Christ  to  whom  be  glory, 
both  now  and  forever.  Amen.  Oh,  that  we  might  let 
Him  have  right  of  way,  and  ever  cry, 

"Refining  fire  go   through  my  heart, 
Illuminate  my  soul; 
Scatter   Thy  life  in   every  part, 
And  purify  the  whole." 

5.  Finally,  all  this  is  for  service.  "He  will  purify 
the  sons  of  Levi,  that  they  may  offer  unto  Him  an  of- 
fering in  righteousness."    This  is  God's  great  end  in  all 


LAST  MESSAGE  TO  OLD  DISPENSATION 


293 


There  ia 
spirit,  a 
ious  anf! 
vin^'  up, 
ich  must 
;t  us  be, 
in'.  He 
inonient 
iii'e  j^et 
llo  can 
\ui  work 
a  gri.'ut 
instan- 
:he  soul, 
il  dwell- 
'  Saneti- 
)sequent 
apaeity, 
and  out 
hood  of 

He  will 
Qot  tire, 
sure  of 
)d  work 
)leasing 


glory, 
ight  let 


purify 

an  of- 

I  in  all 


His  work  of  grace.  He  will  not  give  us  the  Holy  Ghost 
to  terminate  upon  ourselves;  and  if  He  sees  that  our 
object  in  seeking  even  spiritual  blessing  and  power  is 
our  own  delight,  aggrandizement,  or  self-importance,  we 
shall  be  disappointed.  But  if  our  purpose  is  to  be  like 
God  Himself,  channels  of  blessing  to  others,  and  instru- 
ments for  His  use.  He  will  fill  us  and  use  us  to  the 
^iUest  measure  of  our  heart's  desire.  The  more  we 
give  the  more  wo  shall  receive,  until,  like  God,  our  only 
occupation  will  be  to  be  a  blessing.  This  is  the  secret 
of  barren  hearts  and  lifeless  churches.  They  are  Dead 
Seas,  that  have  received  without  an  outlet,  until  they 
could  hold  no  more,  until  even  what  they  had  has  become 
a  stagnant  and  unwholesome  pool. 

Side  by  side,  the  blessing  and  service  must  ever  go 
hand  in  hand,  according  to  the  ancient  promise,  '*Ye 
shall  receive  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  coming  upon 
you,  and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me." 

The  Old  Testament  closes  with  the  glorious  promise 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  How  wonderfully  the  New  Testament 
has  fulfilled  it!  Let  our  lives  fulfill  it.  Let  our  words 
and  works  pass  it  on  until  the  yet  greater  promise  of 
His  Second  Coming  shall  come  to  pass,  and  we  shall 
rise  to  a  richer  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  a 
nobler  service  in  the  ages  to  come  than  we  have  ever 
here  been  able  to  ask  or  think. 

We  have  closed  these  unfoldings  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  the  Old  Testament.  We  shall  next  turn,  if  the  Lord 
will,  to  the  fuller  light  of  the  New  Testament  midday 
and  the  dispensation  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  Oh,  if,  amid 
the  imperfect  light  of  that  ancient  dispensation,  the 
Spirit  accomplished  such  glorious  results  and  left  such 
illustrious  examples  of  His  grace  and  power,  how  much 
more  must  He  not  expect  of  us,  the  children  of  the 
morning,  and  the  heirs  of  all  His  truth  and  grace! 
God  help  us  to  be  worthy  of  our  inheritance  and  tnie 
to  our  trust. 


